awmw«i«»i)wwiiMMni[rimvfminiiw»mwimwiBmi»^ 


X 


THE  CONGO  ROVERS 

GHARRY  COLLINGWOOD^ 


JOSEPH  t.  FLETCHER.  1& 


THE  fONGO  ROVERS 

a  Stor^  of  tbe  Slave  Squadron 


By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD 

Author  of"  The  Pirate  Island"  "  The  Log  of  the  Flying  Fish,"  "  The 
Rover's  Secret"  Etc. 


WITH  EIGHT  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRA  TIONS 
BY  J.  SCHONBERG 


NEW  YORK 
A.  L.  BURT,  PUBLISHER 


All^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  My  First  Appearance  in  Uniform 5 

II.  I  quit  the  Paternal  Roof 26 

III.  The  Truth  about  Fitz-Johnes 36 

IV.  A  Boat-excursion  into  the  Congo 51 

V.  The  "  Vestale  " 66 

VI.  In  the  Congo  once  more  85 

VII.  Mr.  Smellie  makes  a  little  Survey 101 

VIII.  We  attack  the  Slavers 124 

IX.  Doomed  to  the  Torture 149 

X.  A  Fiendish  Ceremonial 166 

XI.  Faithful  unto  Death 183 

XII.  Dona  Antonia 201 

XIII.  An  Eventful  Night 224 

XIV.  We  rejoin  the  "  Daphne  " 245 

XV.  A  Stern  Chase — and  a  Fruitless  one 261 

XVI.  A  very  mysterious  Occurrence 277 

XVII.  Poor  Austin's  Fate 294 

XVIII.  The  Cutters  Beset 312 

XIX.  The  Situation  becomes  Desperate 331 

XX.  Rescued .348 

XXI.  An  awful  Catastrophe 364 

XXII.  An  Abduction  and  an  Important  Capture 380 


THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

A  STORY  OF  THE  SLAVE  SQUADRON. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM. 

"  Um  !  "  ejaculated  my  father  as  be  thoughtfully  re- 
moved his  double  eye-glass  from  his  nose  with  one 
hand,  and  with  the  other  passed  a  letter  to  me 
across  the  breakfast-table — "  Um  !  this  letter  will 
interest  you,  Dick.     It  is  from  Captain  Vernon." 

My  heart  leaped  with  sudden  excitement,  and  my 
hand  trembled  as  I  stretched  it  out  for  the  proffered 
epistle.  The  mention  of  Captain  Yernon's  name,  to- 
gether with  the  announcement  that  the  subject-mat- 
ter of  the  letter  was  of  interest  to  me,  prepared  me 
in  a  great  measure  for  the  intelligence  it  conveyed  ; 
which  was  to  the  effect  that  the  writer,  having  been 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  sloop-of-war 
Daphne^  now  found  himself  in  a  position  to  fulfil  a 
promise  of  some  standing  to  his  dear  and  honored 
friend  Dr.  Hawkesle}^  (my  father)  by  receiving  his 
son  (myself)  on  board  the  sloop,  with  the  rating  of 


6  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

midshipman.  The  sloop,  the  letter  went  on  to  say, 
was  commissioned  for  service  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa  ;  and  if  I  decided  to  join  her  no  time  should 
be  lost  in  procuring  my  outfit,  as  the  Daphne  was 
under  orders  to  sail  on  the  — ;  just  four  days  from 
the  date  of  the  receipt  of  the  letter. 

"  Well,  Dick,  what  do  you  think  of  Captain  Ver- 
non's proposal?"  inquired  my  father  somewhat 
sadly,  as  I  concluded  my  perusal  of  the  letter  and 
raised  my  eyes  to  his. 

"  Oh,  father  !  "  I  exclaimed  eagerly,  "  I  hope  you 
will  consent  to  let  me  go.  Perhaps  I  may  never  have 
another  such  an  opportunity  ;  and  I  am  quite  sure  I 
shall  never  care  to  be  anything  but  a  sailor." 

"  Ah  yes — the  old,  old  story,  "  murmured  my 
father,  shaking  his  head  dubiously.  "  Thousands  of 
lads  have  told  their  fathers  exactly  the  same  thing, 
and  have  lived  to  bitterly  regret  their  choice  of  a  pro- 
fession. Look  at  my  life.  I  have  to  run  about  in  all 
weathers  ;  to  take  my  meals  when  and  how  I  can  ; 
there  is  not  a  single  hour  in  the  twenty-four  that  I 
can  call  my  own  ;  it  is  a  rare  thing  for  me  to  get  a 
night  of  undisturbed  rest :  it  is  a  hard,  anxious,  haras- 
sing life  that  I  lead — you  have  of  ten  said  so  yourself , 
and  urged  it  as  one  of  the  reasons  why  you  object  to 
follow  in  my  footsteps.  But  I  tell  you,  Dick,  that 
my  life — ay,  or  the  life  even  of  the  poorest  country 
practitioner,  for  that  matter — is  one  of  ease  and 
luxury  compared  with  that  of  a  sailor.  But  I  have 
said  all  this  to  you  over  and  over  again,  without 
convincing  you  ;  and  I  hardly  dare  hope  that  I  shall 


MY   FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.         7 

be  more  successful  now  ;  so,  if  you  are  really  quite 
resolved  to  go  to  sea,  I  will  offer  no  further  objec- 
tions. It  is  true  that  you  will  be  going  to  an  un- 
healthy climate  ;  but  God  is  just  as  well  able  to  pre- 
serve you  there  as  He  is  here ;  and  then,  again,  you 
have  a  strong,  healthy,  constitution,  which,  fortified 
with  such  preservative  medicines  as  I  can  supply, will, 
I  hope,  enable  you  to  withstand  the  malaria  and  to 
return  to  us  in  safety.  Now,  what  do  you  say^ — are 
you  still  resolved  to  go  ? " 

"  Quite,"  I  replied  emphatically.  "  ]S"ow  that  you 
have  given  your  consent  the  last  obstacle  is  removed, 
and  I  can  follow  with  a  light  heart  the  bent  of  my 
own  inclinations." 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  my  father,  rising  from  the 
table  and  pushing  back  his  chair.  "  That  question 
being  settled,  we  had  better  call  upon  Mr.  Shears 
forthwith  and  give  the  order  for  your  uniform  and 
outfit.  There  is  no  time  to  lose ;  and  since  go  you 
will,  I  would  very  much  rather  you  went  with  Yer- 
non  than  with  any  one  else." 

The  above  conversation  took  place,  as  already 
stated,  in  the  brealvfast-room  of  my  father's  house. 
My  father  was  at  that  time — as  he  continued  to  be 
until  the  day  of  his  death — the  leading  physician  in 
Portsmouth ;  and  his  house — a  substantial  four- 
story  building — stood  near  the  top  of  the  High  Street. 
The  establishment  of  Mr.  Shears,  "  Army  and  Navy 
Tailor,  Clothier,  and  Outfitter,"  was  situated  near 
the  bottom  of  the  same  street.  A  walk,  therefore,  of 
some  ten  minutes'  duration  took  us  to  our  destina- 


8  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

tion  ;  and  at  the  end  of  a  further  half-hour's  anxious 
consultation  I  had  been  measured  for  my  uniform — 
one  suit  of  which  was  faithfully  promised  for  the 
next  day — had  chosen  my  sea-chest,  and  had  selected 
a  complete  outfit  of  such  clothing  as  was  to  be  ob- 
tained ready-made.  This  important  business  con- 
cluded, my  father  departed  upon  his  daily  round  of 
visits,  and  I  had  the  remainder  of  the  day  at  my  own 
disposal. 

My  first  act  on  emerging  from  the  door  of  Mr. 
Shears'  establishment  was  to  hasten  off  to  the  dock- 
yard at  top  speed  to  take  another  look  at  the  Dajyhne. 
I  had  often  seen  the  craft  before ;  had  taken  an  inter- 
est in  her,  indeed,  I  may  say,  from  the  moment  that 
her  keel  was  laid — she  was  built  in  Portsmouth  dock- 
yard— and  had  watched  her  progress  to  completion 
and  her  recent  launch  with  an  admiration  which  had 
steadily  increased  until  it  grew  into  positive  love. 
And  now  I  was  actually  to  have  the  happiness,  the 
hliss^  of  going  to  sea  in  her  as  an  officer  on  her  first 
cruise.  Ecstatic  thought!  I  felt  as  though  I  was 
walking  on  air ! 

But  my  rapture  received  a  pretty  effectual  damper 
when  I  reflected — as  I  soon  did — that  my  obstinate 
determination  to  go  to  sea  must  certainly  prove  a 
deep  disappointment,  if  not  a  source  of  constant  and 
cruel  anxiety,  to  my  father.  Dear  old  dad !  his  most 
cherished  wish,  as  I  knew  full  well,  had  long  been 
that  I,  his  only  son,  might  qualify  myself  to  take 
over  and  carry  on  the  exceedingly  snug  practice  he 
had  built  up,  when  the  pressure  of  increasing  years 


MY   FIRST  APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.         9 

should  render  his  retirement  desirable.  But  the  idea 
was  so  utterly  distasteful  to  me  that  I  had  persistently 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  his  arguments,  persuasions, 
ay,  and  even  his  entreaties.  Unfortunately,  perhaps, 
for  the  fulfilment  of  his  desires,  I  Avas  born  and 
brought  up  at  Portsmouth ;  and  all  my  earliest 
recollections  of  amusement  are,  in  some  way  or  other, 
connected  with  salt  water.  Swimming  and  boating 
early  became  absolute  passions  with  me  ;  I  was  never 
quite  happy  unless  I  happened  to  be  either  in  or  on 
the  water ;  then,  indeed,  all  other  pleasures  were 
less  than  nothing  to  me.  As  a  natural  consequence, 
I  soon  became  the  intimate  companion  of  every  boat- 
man in  the  harbor  ;  I  acquired,  to  a  considerable 
extent,  their  tastes  and  prejudices,  and  soon  mastered 
all  the  nautical  lore  which  it  was  in  their  power  to 
teach  me.  I  could  sail  a  boat  before  I  could  read ;  and 
by  the  time  that  I  had  learned  to  write,  was  able  to 
hand,  reef,  and  steer  with  the  best  of  them.  My  con- 
versation— except  when  it  was  addressed  to  my  father 
— was  copiously  interlarded  with  nautical  phrases  ; 
and  by  the  time  I  had  attained  the  age  of  fourteen — at 
which  period  this  history  begins, — I  was  not  only 
acquainted  with  the  name,  place,  and  use  of  every 
rope  and  spar  in  a  ship,  but  I  had  also  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  various  rigs,  and  a  distinct  opinion 
as  to  what  constituted  a  good  model. 

The  astute  reader  will  have  gathered  from  this 
confession  that  I  was,  from  my  earliest  childhood, 
left  pretty  much  my  own  master  ;  and  such  was  in 
fact  the  case.     My  mother  died  in  giving  birth  to 


10  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

my  only  sister  Eva  (two  years  ray  junior) ;  a  mis- 
fortune which,  in  consequence  of  my  father's  absorp- 
tion in  the  duties  of  his  practice,  left  me  entirely  to 
the  care  of  the  servants,  by  whom  I  w^as  shamefully 
neglected.  But  for  this  I  should  doubtless  have  been 
trained  to  obedience  and  a  respectful  deference  to 
my  father's  wishes.  The  mischief,  however,  was 
done  ;  I  had  acquired  a  love  of  the  sea,  and  my  high- 
est ambition  was  to  become  a  naval  oiScer.  This 
fact  my  father  at  length  reluctantly  recognized,  and 
by  persistent  entreaty  I  finally  prevailed  upon  him 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  gratify  m}^  heart's  de- 
sire— with  the  result  already  known  to  the  reader. 

The  somber  reflections  induced  by  the  thought  of 
my  father's  disappointment  did  not,  I  confess  with 
shame,  last  long.  They  vanished  as  a  morning  mist 
is  dissipated  before  the  rising  sun,  when  I  recalled 
to  mind  that  I  was  not  only  going  to  sea,  but  that  I 
was  actually  going  to  sail  in  the  Da])hne.  This  par- 
ticular craft  was  my  heau-ideal  of  what  a  ship  ought 
to  be  ;  and  in  this  opinion  I  was  by  no  means  alone 
— all  my  cronies  hailing  from  the  Hard  agreeing, 
without  exception,  that  she  was  far  and  away  the 
handsomest  and  most  perfect  model  the}^  had  ever 
seen.  My  admiration  of  her  was  unbounded  ;  and 
on  the  day  of  her  launch — upon  which  occasion  I 
cheered  mj^self  hoarse — I  felt,  as  I  saw  her  gliding 
swiftly  and  gracefully  down  the  ways,  that  it  would 
be  a  priceless  privilege  to  sail  in  her,  even  in  the 
capacity  of  the  meanest  ship-boy.  And  now  I  was 
to  be  a  midshipman  on  board  her  ! 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       II 

I  hurried  onward  with  swift  and  impatient  steps, 
and  soon  passed  through  the  dockyard  gates — hav- 
ing long  ago,  by  dint  of  persistent  coaxing,  gained 
the  entree  to  the  sacred  precincts — when  a  w^alk  of 
some  four  or  five  hundred  yards  further  took  me  to 
the  berth  alongside  the  wharf  where  she  was  lying. 

"Well  as  I  knew  every  curve  and  line  of  her  beau- 
tiful hull,  ray  glances  now  dwelt  upon  her  with  ten- 
fold loving  interest.  She  was  a  ship-sloop  of  28 
guns — long  18-pounders — with  a  flush  deck  fore  and 
aft.  She  was  very  long  in  proportion  to  her  beam  ; 
low  in  the  water,  and  her  lines  were  as  fine  as  it  had 
been  possible  to  make  them.  She  had  a  very  light, 
elegant-looking  stern,  adorned  with  a  great  deal  of 
carved  scroll-work  about  the  cabin  windows ;  and 
her  gracefully -curved  cut-water  was  surmounted  by 
an  exquisitely-carved  full-length  figure  of  Peneus' 
lovely  daughter,  with  both  arms  outstretched,  as  in 
the  act  of  flight,  and  with  twigs  and  leaves  of  laurel 
just  springing  from  her  dainty  finger-tips.  There 
was  a  great  deal  of  brass-work  about  the  deck  fit- 
tings, which  gleamed,  and  flashed  brilliantly  in  the 
sun  ;  and,  the  paint  being  new  and  fresh,  she  looked 
altogether  superlatively  neat,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  operations  of  rigging  and  of  shipping  stores 
were  both  going  on  simultaneously. 

Having  satisfied  for  the  time  being  my  curiosity 
with  regard  to  the  hull  of  my  future  home,  I  next 
cast  a  glance  aloft  at  her  spars.  She  was  rigged 
only  as  far  as  her  top-mast  heads,  her  topgallant- 
masts  being  then  on  deck  in  process  of  preparation 


12  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

for  sending  aloft.  When  I  had  last  seen  her  she  was 
under  the  masting-shears  getting  her  lower-masts 
stepped  ;  and  it  then  struck  me  that  they  were  Jfitting 
her  w^ith  rather  heavy  spars.  But  now,  as  I  looked 
aloft,  I  was  fairly  startled  at  the  length  and  girth 
of  her  masts  and  yards.  To  my  eye — by  no  means 
an  unaccustomed  one — her  spars  seemed  taut 
enough  for  a  ship  of  nearly  double  her  size  ;  and  the 
rigging  was  heavy  in  the  same  proportion.  I  stood 
there  on  the  wharf  watching  with  the  keenest  inter- 
est the  scene  of  bustle  and  animation  on  board  until 
the  bell  rang  the  hour  of  noon,  and  all  hands  knocked 
off  work  and  went  to  dinner ;  by  which  time  the 
three  topgallant-masts  were  aloft  "with  the  rigging 
all  ready  for  setting  up  when  the  men  turned-to 
again.  The  addition  of  these  spars  to  the  length  of 
her  already  lofty  masts  gave  the  Daphne,  in  my  opi- 
nion, more  than  ever  the  appearance  of  being  over- 
sparred  ;  an  opinion  in  which,  as  it  soon  appeared,  I 
was  not  alone. 

Most  of  the  men  left  the  dockyard  and  went  home 
(as  I  suppose)  to  their  dinner  ;  but  half  a  dozen  or  so 
of  riggers,  instead  of  following  the  example  of  the 
others,  routed  out  from  some  obscure  spot  certain 
small  bundles  tied  up  in  colored  handkerchiefs,  and, 
bringing  these  on  shore,  seated  themselves  upon 
some  of  the  boxes  and  casks  with  which  the  wharf 
was  lumbered,  and,  opening  the  bundles,  produced 
therefrom  their  dinners,  which  they  proceeded  to 
discuss  with  quite  an  enviable  appetite. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  meal  ])roceeded  in  dead 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       13 

silence  ;  but  presently  one  of  them,  glancing  aloft  at 
the  Dajyhne's  spars,  remarked  in  a  tone  of  voice 
which  reached  me  distinctly — I  was  standing  with- 
in a  few  feet  of  the  party  : 

"  Well,  Tom,  bo' ;  what  d'ye  think  of  the  hooker 
noio  f  " 

The  man  addressed  shook  his  head  disapprovingly. 
"  The  more  I  looks  at  her  the  less  I  likes  her,"  was 
his  reply. 

"  I'm  precious  glad  /  ain't  goin'  to  sea  in  her," 
observed  another. 

"  Same  here,"  said  the  first  speaker.  "  Why,  look 
at  the  Si7'en  over  there  !  She's  a  38 -gun  frigate,  and 
her  mainmast  is  only  two  feet  longer  than  the 
Daphne^ 8 — as  I  happen  to  know,  for  I  had  a  hand  in 
the  buildin'  of  both  the  spars.  The  sloop's  over- 
masted, that's  what  she  is." 

I  turned  away  and  bent  my  steps  homeward.  The 
short  snatch  of  conversation  which  I  had  just  heard, 
confirming  as  it  did  my  own  convictions,  had  a  curi- 
ously depressing  effect  upon  me,  which  was  increased 
when,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  distant  buoy  which  marked  the  position  of  the 
sunken  Royal  George,  For  the  moment  ni}^  enthusi- 
asm was  all  gone  ;  a  foreboding  of  disaster  took  pos- 
session of  me,  and  but  for  very  shame  I  felt  more 
than  half  inclined  to  tell  my  father  I  had  altered  my 
min(J,  and  would  rather  not  go  to  sea.  I  had  occa- 
sion afterwards  to  devoutly  wish  I  had  acted  on  this 
impulse. 

When,  however,  I  was  awakened  next  morning  by 


14  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  sun  shining  brilliantl}^  in  at  my  bed-room  window, 
my  apprehensions  had  vanished,  ray  enthusiasm  was 
again  at  fever-heat,  and  I  panted  for  the  moment — 
not  to  be  very  long  deferred — when  I  should  don 
my  uniform  and  strut  forth  to  sport  my  glories  be- 
fore an  admiring  world. 

Punctual  almost  to  a  moment — for  once  at  least  in 
his  life — Mr,  Shears  sent  home  the  uniform  whilst 
we  were  sitting  down  to  luncheon ;  and  the  moment 
that  I  decently  could  I  hastened  away  to  try  it  on. 

The  breeches  were  certainly  rather  wrinkly  above 
the  knees,  and  the  jacket  was  somewhat  uncomfort- 
ably tight  across  the  chest  when  buttoned  over ;  it 
also  pinched  me  a  good  deal  under  the  armpits,  whilst 
the  sleeves  exhibited  a  trifle  too  much — some  six 
inches  or  so — of  my  wristbands  and  shirt-sleeves; 
and  when  I  looked  at  myself  in  the  glass  I  found 
that  there  was  a  well-defined  ridge  of  loose  cloth 
running  across  the  back  from  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
With  these  trifling  exceptions,  however,  I  thought 
the  suit  fitted  me  fairly  well,  and  I  hastened  down- 
stairs to  exhibit  myself  to  my  sister  Eva.  To  my 
intense  surprise  and  indignation  she  no  sooner  saw 
me  than  she  burst  into  an  uncontrollable  fit  of 
laughter,  and  was  heartless  enough  to  declare  that 
I  looked  "  a  perfect  fright,"  Thoroughly  disgusted 
Avith  such  unsisterly  conduct  I  mustered  all  my 
dignity,  and  without  condescending  to  ask  for  an  ex- 
planation, walked  in  contemptuous  silence  out  of  the 
room  and  the  house. 

A  regimental  band  was  to  play  that  afternoon  on 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       1 5 

To  ithsea  Common,  and  thither  I  accordingly  decided 
to  direct  my  steps.  There  were  a  good  many  people 
about  the  streets,  and  I  had  not  gone  very  far  before 
I  made  the  discovery  that  everybody  was  in  high 
good-humor  about  something  or  other.  The  people 
I  met  wore,  almost  without  exception,  genial,  smil- 
ing countenances,  and  many  a  peal  of  hearty 
laughter  rang  out  from  hilarious  groups  who  had 
already  passed  me.  I  felt  anxious  to  know  what  it 
was  that  thus  set  all  Portsmouth  laughing,  and 
glanced  round  to  see  if  I  could  discover  an  acquaint- 
ance of  whom  I  might  inquire ;  but,  as  usual  in  such 
cases,  was  unsuccessful.  When  I  reached  the  Com- 
mon I  found,  as  I  expected  I  should,  a  large  and 
fashionably  dressed  crowd,  with  a  good  sprinkling 
of  naval  and  military  uniforms,  listening  to  the 
strains  of  the  band.  Here,  for  the  first  five  minutes 
or  so  I  failed  to  notice  anything  unusual  in  the 
behavior  of  the  people ;  but  the  humorous  item  of 
news  must  have  reached  them  almost  simultaneously 
with  my  own  arrival  upon  the  scene,  for  very  soon  I 
detected  on  the  faces  of  those  Avho  passed  me  the 
same  amused  smile  which  I  had  before  encountered 
in  the  streets.  I  stood  well  back  out  of  the  thick  of 
the  crowd ;  both  because  I  could  hear  the  music 
better,  and  also  to  afford  any  friend  of  mine  who 
might  chance  to  be  present  an  opportunity  to  see  me 
in  my  imposing  new  uniform. 

It  was  whilst  I  was  standing  thus  in  the  most  easy 
and  nonchalant  attitude  I  could  assume  that  a  horri- 
ble discovery  forced  itself  upon  me.     I  happened  to 


l6  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

be  regarding  with  a  certain  amount  of  languid  inter- 
est a  couple  of  promenaders,  consisting  of  a  very 
lovely  girl  and  a  somewhat  foppish  ensign,  when  I 
suddenly  caught  the  eye  of  the  latter  fixed  upon  me. 
He  raised  his  eye-glass  to  his  eye,  and,  in  the  coolest 
manner  in  the  world,  deliberately  surveyed  me 
through  it,  when,  in  an  instant,  a  broad  smile  of 
amusement — the  smile  which  I  by  this  time  knew 
so  well — overspread  his  otherwise  inanimate  feat- 
ures. I  glanced  hurriedly  behind  me  to  see  if  I 
could  discover  the  cause  of  his  risibilit}',  and,  failing 
to  do  so,  turned  round  again,  just  in  time  to  see  him, 
with  his  eye-glass  still  bearing  straight  in  ni}^  direc- 
tion, bend  his  head  and  speak  a  few  words  to  his 
fair  companion.  Thereupon  she,  too,  glanced  in 
my  direction,  looked  steadfastly  at  me  for  a  moment, 
and  then  burst  into  a  uncontrollable  fit  of  laughter 
which  she  vainly  strove  to  stifle  in  her  pocket-hand- 
kerchief. For  a  second  or  two  I  was  utterly  lost  in 
astonishment  at  this  unaccountable  behavior,  and 
then  ail  the  hideous  truth  thrust  itself  upon  me. 
They  were  laughing  at  me.  Having  at  length  fully 
realized  this  I  turned  haughtily  away  and  at  once  left 
the  ground. 

I  hurried  homeward  in  a  most  unenviable  state  of 
mind,  with  the  conviction  every  moment  forcing  it- 
self more  obtrusively  upon  me,  that  for  some  incon- 
ceivable reason  I  was  the  laughing-stock  of  every- 
body I  met,  when,  just  as  I  turned  once  more  into 
the  High  Street  I  observed  two  midshipmen  ap- 
proaching on  my  own  side  of  the  Avay,  and  some  half 


As  Miss  Smith  passed  sue  recognized  me  with  a  bow  and 
SMILE. — Page  17. 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       1 7 

a  dozen  yards  or  so  behind  them  a  certain  Miss  Smith, 
a  parlor  boarder  in  the  ladies'  seminary  opposite  my 
father's  house — a  damsel  not  more  than  six  or  seven 
years  my  senior,  with  whom  I  was  slightly  ac- 
quainted, and  for  whom  I  had  long  cherished  a 
secret  but  ardent  passion. 

With  that  sensitiveness  which  is  so  promptly 
evoked  by  even  the  bare  suspicion  of  ridicule  I  fur- 
tively watched  the  two  "young  gentlemen"  as  they 
approached  ;  but  they  had  been  talking  and  laugh- 
ing loudly  when  I  first  caught  sight  of  them,  and 
although  I  saw  that  they  were  aware  of  my  presence 
I  failed  to  detect  the  sudden  change  of  manner 
which  I  had  dreaded  to  observe.  "Whether  they 
were  speaking  of  me  or  not  I  could  not,  of  course, 
feel  certain  ;  but  I  rather  fancied  from  the  glances 
they  cast  in  my  direction  that  they  were. 

As  they  drew  nearer  I  observed  that  the  eyes  of 
one  of  them  were  intently  and  inquiringly  gazing 
into  mine,  and  they  continued  so  to  do  until  the 
pair  had  fairly  passed  me.  Being  by  this  time  in  a 
decidedly  aggressive  frame  of  mind  I  returned  this 
pertinacious  gaze  with  a  haughty  and  contemptuous 
stare  w^hich,  however,  I  must  confess,  did  not  ap- 
pear to  very  greatly  intimidate  the  individual  at 
whom  it  was  leveled,  for,  unless  I  was  greatly  mis- 
taken, there  was  a  twitching  about  the  corners  of 
his  mouth  which  suggested  a  strong,  indeed  an  al- 
most uncontrollable  disposition  to  laughter,  whilst 
his  eyes  fairly  beamed  with  merriment. 

As  they  passed  me  this  individual  half  halted  for 


l8  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

an  instant,  passed  on  again  a  step  or  two,  and  then 
turning  abruptly  to  the  right-about,  dashed  after  me 
and  seized  me  by  the  hand,  which  he  shook  eflfu- 
sively,  exclaiming  as  he  did  so  : 

"  It  is — I'm  sure  it  is !  My  dear  Lord  Henry, 
how  are  you  ?  This  is  indeed  an  unexpected  pleas- 
ure !  " 

At  this  moment  Miss  Smith  passed,  giving  me  as 
she  did  so  a  little  start  of  recognition,  followed  by 
a  bow  and  a  beaming  smile,  which  I  returned  in  my 
most  fascinating  manner. 

I  was  once  more  happy.  This  little  incident,  tri- 
fling though  it  was  in  itself,  sufficed  to  banish  in  an 
instant  the  unpleasant  reflections  which  a  moment 
before  had  been  rankling  in  my  breast,  for  had  not 
my  fair  divinity  seen  me  in  the  uniform  of  the  gal- 
lant defenders  of  our  country  ?  And  had  she  not 
also  heard  and  seen  me  mistaken  for  a  lord  ?  If  this 
had  no  power  to  soften  and  subdue  that  proud  heart 
and  bring  it  in  sweet  humility  to  my  feet,  then 
— well  I  should  like  to  know  what  would,  that's 
all. 

I  allowed  my  fair  enslaver  to  pass  out  of  ear -shot, 
and  then  said  to  the  midshipman  who  had  so  unex- 
pectedly addressed  me  : 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  but  I  think  you  are  mistaking 
me  for  some  one  else." 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  not,"  he  retorted.  "  I  know  you 
well  enough — though  I  must  say  you  are  greatly 
altered  for  the  better  since  I  saw  you  last  a  year 
ago.     You're  Lord  Henry  de  Yere  Montmorenci. 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       19 

Ah,  you  sly  dog !  you  thought  to  play  a  trick  upon 
your  old  friend  Fitz-Jones,  did  you?  But  what 
brings  you  down  here,  Montmorenci  ?  Have  you 
come  down  to  join  ? " 

This  was  a  most  remarkable,  and  at  the  same 
time  gratifying  occurrence,  fori  could  not  help  keep 
feeling  elated  at  being  thus  mistaken  for  a  noble, 
and  greeted  with  such  enthusiasm  b\'  a  most  agree- 
able and  intelligent  brother  officer,  and — evidently 
— a  scion  of  some  noble  house  to  boot.  For  a  sinfjle 
instant  an  almost  invincible  temptation  seized  me  to 
personate  the  character  with  which  I  was  accredited, 
but  it  was  as  promptly  overcome ;  my  respect  for 
the  truth  (temporarily)  conquered  my  vanity,  and  I 
answered  : 

"I  assure  you,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  mistaken.  I 
am  not  Lord  Henry  de  Yere  Montmorenci,  but 
plain  Richard  Hawkesley,  just  nominated  to  the 
Daphne  r 

"Well,  if  you  persist  in  saying  so,  I  suppose  I 
must  believe  you,"  answered  Fitz-Jones.  "  But, 
really,  the  resemblance  is  most  extraordinary — truly 
remarkable  indeed.  There  is  the  same  lofty  intel- 
lectual forehead,  the  same  proud  eagle-glance,  the 
same  haughty  carriage ;  the  same — now,  tell  me. 
Tomnoddy,  upon  your  honor  as  an  officer  and  a 
gentleman,  did  you  ever  in  your  life  before  see  such 
an  extraordinary  resemblance?  " 

"  I  never  did ;  it  is  really  most  remarkable,"  an- 
swered the  other  midshipman  in  a  strangely  quiver- 
ing voice  which,  but  for  his  solemn  countenance,  I 


20  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

should  have  considered  decidedly  indicative  of  sup- 
pressed laughter. 

"  It  really  is  most  singular,  positively  marvel- 
ous,''^ resumed  Fitz-Jones.  Then  he  added  hur- 
riedly : 

"  By  the  way,  do  you  know  my  friend  Tomnoddy? 
'No !  Then  allow  me  to  introduce  him.  Lord  Tom- 
noddy— Mr.  Richard  HaAvkesley,  just  nominated  to 
the  Daphne.  And  I  suppose  I  ought  also  to  intro- 
duce myself.  I  am  Lord  Montague  Fitz-Jones. 
You  have,  of  course,  heard  of  the  Fitz-Jones  family 
— the  Fitz-J-o-h-n-e-s's,  you  know  ?  " 

I  certainly  had  not ;  nor  had  I,  up  to  that  moment, 
any  idea  that  Lord  Tomnoddy  was  other  than  a 
mythical  personage  ;  but  I  did  not  choose  to  parade 
my  ignorance  in  such  matters,  so  I  replied  by  a 
polite  bow. 

There  was  a  silence  between  us  for  a  moment ; 
and  then  Fitz-Jones — or  Fitz-Johnes,  rather — raised 
his  hand  to  his  forehead  Avith  a  thoughtful  air  and 
murmured  : 

"  Hawkesley  !  Hawkesley  !  I'm  positive  I've 
heard  that  name  before.  Now,  where  was  it  ?  Um- 
ah-eh  ?  Yes  ;  I  have  it.  You're  the  handsome 
heartless  fellow  who  played  such  havoc  with  my 
cousin  Lady  Mary's  affections  at  the  state  ball  last 
year.  Now,  don't  deny  it ;  I'm  positive  I'm  right. 
Do  you  know,"  he  continued,  glaring  at  me  in  a 
most  ferocious  manner — "  do  you  know  that  for  the 
last  six  months  I've  been  looking  for  you  in  order 
that  I  might  shoot  you  ? " 


MY    FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       21 

Somehow  I  did  not  feel  very  greatly  alarmed  at 
this  belligerent  speech,  and  vanity  having  by  this 
time  conquered  my  natural  truthfulness,  I  deter- 
mined to  sustain  ni}'-  unexpected  reputation  as  a 
lady-killer  at  all  hazards.  I  therefore  drew  myself 
up,  and,  assuming  my  sternest  look,  replied  that  I 
should  be  happy  to  give  him  the  desired  opportu- 
nity whenever  he  might  choose. 

Fitz-Johnes'  ferocious  glare  continued  for  a  mo- 
ment or  two ;  then  his  brow  cleared,  and,  extending 
his  hand,  he  grasped  mine,  shook  the  member  vio- 
lently, and  exclaimed : 

"  That  was  spoken  like  a  gentleman  and  a  brave 
man  !  Give  me  your  hand,  Hawkesley.  I  respect 
you,  sir ;  I  esteem  you ;  and  I  forgive  you  all.  If 
there  is  one  thing  which  touches  me  more  than  an- 
other, one  thing  which  I  admire  more  than  another, 
it  is  to  see  a  man  show  a  bold  front  in  the  face  of 
deadly  peril.  Ah !  noio  I  can  understand  Lady 
Mary's  infatuation.  Poor  girl !  I  pity  her.  And  I 
suppose  that  pretty  girl  who  passed  just  now  is  an- 
other victim  to  your  fascinating  powers.  Ah,  well ! 
it's  not  to  be  wondered  at,  I'm  sure.  Tomnoddy, 
do  you  remember,  by  the  bye — ?  " 

But  Lord  Tomnoddy  was  now  standing  with  his 
back  turned  toward  us,  and  his  face  buried  in  his 
pocket-handkerchief.  His  head  was  bowed,  his 
shoulders  were  heaving  convulsively,  and  certain  in- 
articulate sounds  which  escaped  him  showed  that 
he  was  struggling  to  suppress  some  violent  emo. 
tion. 


22  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Lord  Fitz-Johnes  regarded  his  companion  fixedly 
for  a  moment,  then  linked  his  arm  in  mine,  drew  me 
aside,  and  whispered  hastily : 

"  Don't  take  any  notice  of  him  ;  he'll  be  all  right 
again  in  a  minute.  It's  only  a  little  revulsion  of  feel- 
ing which  has  overcome  him.  He's  frightfully  ten- 
der-hearted— far  too  much  so  for  a  sailor  ;  he  can't 
bear  the  sight  of  blood ;  and  he  knew  that  if  I  called 
you  out  I  should  choose  him  for  my  second  ;  and — 
you  twig,  eh  ? '' 

I  thought  I  did,  but  was  not  quite  sure,  so  I  bowed 
again,  which  seemed  quite  as  satisfactory  as  words  to 
Fitz-Johnes,  for  he  said,  with  his  arm  still  linked  in 
mine  : 

"  That's  all  right.  Now  let's  go  and  cement  our 
friendship  over  a  bottle  of  wine  at  the  '  Blue  Posts  ; 
what  do  3'ou  say  ?  " 

I  intimated  that  the  proposal  was  quite  agreeable 
to  me ;  and  we  accordingl}"  wheeled  about  and 
directed  our  steps  to  the  inn  in  question,  which,  in  my 
time,  was  the  place  of  resort,  par  excellence,  of  all 
midshipmen. 

Lord  Tomnoddy  now  removed  his  handkerchief 
from  his  eyes  ;  and,  sure  enough,  he  had  been  weep- 
ing, for  I  detected  him  in  the  very  act  of  drying  his 
tears.  He  must  have  possessed  a  truly  wonderful 
command  over  his  features,  though,  for  I  could  not 
detect  the  faintest  trace  of  that  deep  feeling  which 
had  overpowered  him  so  shortl}''  before  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, he  laughed  uproariously  at  a  very  feeble  joke 
which    I  just  had   ventured  to   let  off ;  and   there- 


MY   FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       23 

after,  until  I  parted  with  them  both  an  hour  later, 
was  the  merriest  of  the  party. 

We  arrived  in  due  course  at  the  "  Blue  Posts,"  and, 
walking  into  a  private  parlor,  rang  for  the  waiter. 
On  the  appearance  of  that  individual,  Fitz-Johnes, 
with  a  truly  lordly  air,  ordered  in  three  bottles  of 
port ;  sagely  remarking  that  he  made  a  point  of 
never  drinking  less  than  a  bottle  himself  ;  and  as  his 
friend  Hawkesley  was  hiown  to  have  laid  down  the 
same  rule,  the  third  bottle  was  a  necessity  unless 
Lord  Tomdoddy  was  to  go  without.  Lord  Tomnoddy 
faintly  protested  against  the  ordering  of  so  much 
wine  ;  but  Fitz-Johnes  was  firm  in  his  determination, 
insisting  that  he  should  regard  it  as  nothing  short 
of  a  deliberate  insult  on  Tomnoddy's  part  if  that 
Individual  declined  his  hospitality. 

After  a  considerable  delay  the  wine  and  glasses 
made  their  appearance,  the  waiter  setting  them  down 
and  then  pausing  respectfully  by  the  table. 

"  Thank  you  ;  that  will  do.  You  need  not  wait," 
said  Fitz-Jones. 

"  The  money,  if  you  please,  sir,"  explained  the 
waiter. 

"  Oh,  ah  !  yes,  to  be  sure.  The  money."  And  Fitz- 
Johnes  plunged  his  hand  into  his  breeches  pocket 
and  withdrew  therefrom  the  sum  of  twopence  half- 
penny, together  with  half  a  dozen  buttons  (assorted) ; 
a  penknife  minus  its  blades ;  the  bowl  of  a  clay 
tobacco-pipe  broken  short  off ;  three  pieces  of  pipe- 
stem  evidently  originally  belonging  to  the  latter  ; 
and  a  small  ball  of  sewing  twine. 


24  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Carefully  arranging  the  copper  coins  on  the  edge 
of  the  table  he  returned  the  remaining  articles  to 
their  original  place  of  deposit,  and  then  plunged  his 
hand  into  his  other  pocket,  from  which  he  produced — 
nothing. 

"  How  much  is  it  ?  "  he  inquired,  glancing  at  the 
waiter. 

"  Fifteen  shillings,  if  you  please,  sir,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  Lend  me  a  sovereign,  there's  a  good  fellow ;  I've 
left  my  purse  in  my  other  pocket,"  he  exclaimed  to 
Lord  Tomnoddy. 

"  I  would  with  pleasure,  old  fellow,  if  I  had  it. 
But,  unfortunately,  I  haven't  a  farthing  about  me." 

Thereupon  the  waiter  proceeded  deliberately  to 
gather  up  the  glasses  again,  and  was  about  to  take 
them  and  the  wine  away,  when  I  interposed  with  a 
proposal  to  pay. 

"  IS'o,"  said  Fitz-Johnes  fiercely  ;  "  I  won't  hear  of 
it ;  I'll  perish  at  the  stake  first.  But  if  you  really 
don't  mind  lending  me  a  sovereign  until  to-morrow — " 

I  said  I  should  be  most  happy  ;  and  forthwith  pro- 
duced the  coin,  which  Fitz-Johnes,  having  received  it, 
flung  disdainfully  down  upon  the  table  with  the 
exclamation  : 

"  There,  caitliff,  is  the  lucre.  Now,  avaunt !  be- 
gone !  Thy  bones  are  marrowless ;  and  you  have 
not  a  particle  of  speculation  about  you." 

The  waiter,  quite  unmoved,  took  up  the  sovereign, 
laid  down  the  change — which  Fitz-Johnes  promptly 
pocketed — and  retired  from  the  room,  leaving  us  to 


MY   FIRST   APPEARANCE    IN    UNIFORM.       2$ 

discuss  our  wine  in  peace  ;  which  we  did,  I  taking 
three  glasses,  and  my  companions  disposing  of  the 
remainder. 

Fitz-Johnes  now  became  very  communicative  on 
the  subject  of  his  cousin  Lady  Mary  ;  and  finally 
the  recollection  came  to  him  suddenly  that  she  had 
sent  him  her  miniature   only  a  day    or  two    before. 

This  he  proposed  to  show  me,  in  order  that  I  might 
pronounce  an  opinion  as  to  the  correctness  of  the 
likeness ;  but  on  instituting  a  search  for  it  he  dis- 
covered— much  to  my  relief,  I  must  confess —  that  he 
had  left  it,  with  his  purse,  iu  the  pocket  of  his  other 
jacket. 

The  wine  at  length  finished,  we  parted  company  at 
the  door  of  the  "  Blue  Posts ;  "  I  shaping  a  course 
homeward,  and  my  new  friends  heading  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Hard,  their  uproarious  laughter  reaching 
my  ear  for  some  time  after  they  had  passed  out  of 
sight. 


26  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

I   QUIT    THE    PATERNAL   EOOF. 

On  reaching  home  I  found  that  my  father  had 
preceded  me  by  a  few  minutes  only,  and  was  to  be 
found  in  the  surgery.  Thither,  accordingly,  I  hast- 
ened to  give  him  an  opportunity  of  seeing  me  in  my 
new  rig. 

"  Good  Heavens,  boy !  "  he  exclaimed  when  he 
had  taken  in  all  the  details  of  my  appearance,  "  do 
you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  presented  yourself 
in  public  in  that  extraordinary  guise  ? " 

I  respectfully  intimated  that  I  had,  and  that,  more- 
over, I  failed  to  observe  anything  at  all  extraordinary 
in  my  appearance. 

"  Well,"  observed  he,  bursting  into  a  fit  of  hearty 
laughter,  notwithstanding  his  evident  annoyance, 
"  you  may  not  have  noticed  it ;  but  I'll  warrant 
that  everybody  else  has.  Why,  I  should  not  have 
been  surprised  to  hear  that  you  had  found  yourself 
the  laughing-stock  of  the  town.  Run  away,  Dick, 
and  change  your  clothes  at  once  ;  Shears  must  see 
those  things  and  endeavor  to  alter  them  somehow ; 
you  can  never  wear  them  as  they  are." 

I  slunk  away  to  my  room  in  a  dreadfully  depressed 


I  QUIT  THE  PATERNAL  ROOF.      27 

state  of  mind.  Was  it  possible  tliat  what  my  father 
had  said  was  true  ?  A  sickening-  suspicion  seized  me 
that  it  was  ;  and  that  I  had  at  last  found  an  explana- 
tion of  the  universal  laughter  which  had  seemed  to 
accompany  me  everywhere  in  my  wanderings  that 
wretched  afternoon. 

I  wrapped  up  the  now  hated  uniform  in  the  brown 
paper  which  had  incased  it  when  it  came  from  Shears ; 
and  my  father  and  I  were  about  to  sally  forth  with 
it  upon  a  wrathful  visit  to  the  erring  Shears,  when 
a  breathless  messenger  from  him  arrived  with  another 
parcel,  and  a  note  of  explanation  and  apology,  to 
the  effect  that  by  some  unfortunate  blunder  the 
wrong  suit  had  been  sent  home,  and  Mr.  Shears 
would  feel  greatly  obliged  if  we  would  return  it  per 
bearer. 

The  man,  upon  this,  was  invited  inside  and  re- 
quested to  wait  whilst  I  tried  on  the  rightful  suit, 
which  was  found  to  fit  excellently  ;  and  I  could  not 
avoid  laughing  rather  ruefully  as  I  looked  in  the 
glass  and  contrasted  my  then  appearance  with  that 
which  I  remembered  it  to  have  been  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  day.  Later  on,  that  same  evening,  my 
sea-chest  and  the  remainder  of  my  outfit  arrived  ; 
and  I  was  ready  to  join,  as  had  been  already  arranged, 
on  the  following  day. 

The  eventful  morning  at  length  arrived  ;  and  with 
my  enthusiasm  considerably  cooled  by  a  night  of 
sleepless  excitement  and  the  unpleasant  consciousness 
that  I  was  about,  in  an  hour  or  two  more,  to  bid 
a  long  farewell  to  home  and  all  who  loved  me,  I 


28  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

descended  to  the  breakfast-room.  My  father  was 
already  there  ;  but  Eva  did  not  come  down  until  the 
last  moment ;  and  when  she  made  her  appearance 
it  was  evident  that  she  had  very  recently  been 
weeping.  The  dear  girl  kissed  me  silently  with 
quivering  lips,  and  we  sat  down  to  breakfast;  My 
father  made  two  or  three  efforts  to  start  something 
in  the  shape  of  a  conversation,  but  it  was  no  good  ; 
the  dear  old  gentleman  was  himself  manifestly  ill 
at  ease  ;  Eva  could  not  speak  a  word  for  sobbing  ; 
and  as  for  me  I  was  as  unable  to  utter  a  word  as  I 
was  to  swallow  my  food — a  great  lump  had  gathered 
in  my  throat,  which  not  only  made  it  sore  but  also 
threatened  to  choke  me,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  I  avoided  bursting  into  a  passion  of 
tears.  None  of  us  ate  anything,  and  at  length  the 
wretched  apology  for  a  meal  was  brought  to  a  con- 
clusion, my  father  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible, 
and  we  knelt  down  to  prayers.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  repeat  here  the  words  of  his  supplication.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  they  went  straight  to  my  heart  and 
lodged  there,  their  remembrance  encompassing  me 
about  as  with  a  seven-fold  defense  in  many  a  future 
hour  of  trial  and  temptation. 

On  rising  from  his  knees  my  father  invited  me  to 
accompany  him  to  his  consulting-room,  and  on  arriv- 
ing there  he  handed  me  a  chair,  seated  himself 
directly  in  front  of  me,  and  said  : 

"•  Now,  my  dear  boy,  before  you  leave  the  roof 
which  has  sheltered  you  from  your  infancy,  and  go 
forth  to  literally  fight  your  own  way  through  the 


I    QUIT   THE    PATERNAL    ROOF.  29 

world  there  is  just  a  word  or  two  of  caution  and 
advice  which  I  wish  to  say.  You  are  about  to  em- 
bark in  a  profession  of  your  own  deliberate  choice, 
and  whilst  that  profession  is  of  so  honorable  a  charac- 
ter that  all  who  wear  its  uniform  are  unquestioningly 
accepted  as  gentlemen,  it  is  also  one  which,  from  its 
very  nature,  exposes  its  followers  to  many  and  great 
temptations.  I  will  not  enlarge  upon  these  ;  you  are 
now  old  enough  to  understand  the  nature  of  many  of 
them,  and  those  which  you  may  not  at  present  know 
anything  about  will  be  readily  recognizable  as  such 
when  they  present  themselves ;  and  a  few  simple  rules 
will,  I  trust,  enable  you  to  overcome  them.  The  first 
rule  which  I  wish  you  to  take  for  your  guidance 
through  life,  my  son,  is  this.  !Never  be  ashamed  to 
honor  your  Maker.  Let  neither  false  pride,  nor  the 
gibes  of  your  companions,  nor  indeed  cmy  influence 
whatever,  constrain  you  to  deny  Him  or  your  depend- 
ence upon  Him ;  never  take  His  name  in  vain,  nor 
countenance  by  your  continued  presence  any  such 
thing  in  others.  Bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  He 
who  holds  the  ocean  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand  is  also 
the  Guide,  the  Helper,  and  the  defender  of  '  those 
who  go  down  into  the  sea  in  ships ; '  and  make  it  an 
unfailing  practice  to  seek  His  help  and  protection 
every  day  of  your  life. 

"  Never  allow  yourself  to  contract  the  habit  of 
swearing.  Many  men — and,  because  of  their  perni- 
cious example,  many  boys  too — habitually  garnish 
their  conversation  with  oaths,  profanity,  and  obscen- 
ity of  the  vilest  description.     It  7nay  be — though  I 


30  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

earnestly  hope  and  pray  it  will  not — that  a  bad  ex- 
ample in  this  respect  will  be  set  you  by  even  your 
superior  officers.  If  such  should  unhappily  be  the 
case,  think  of  this,  our  parting  moments,  and  of  my 
parting  advice  to  you,  and  never  suffer  yourself  to 
be  led  away  by  such  example.  In  the  first  place  it 
is  wrong — it  is  distinctly  sinful  to  indulge  in  such 
language ;  and  in  the  next  place,  to  take  much  lower 
ground,  it  is  vulgar,  ungentlemanly,  and  altogether 
in  the  very  worst  possible  taste.  It  is  not  even 
manly  to  do  so,  though  many  lads  appear  to  think 
it  so ;  there  is  nothing  manly,  or  dignified  in  the 
utterance  of  words  which  inspire  in  the  hearers — 
unless  they  be  the  lowest  of  the  low — nothing  save 
the  most  extreme  disgust.  If  you  are  ambitious  to 
be  classed  among  the  vilest  and  most  ruffianly  of  your 
species,  use  such  language ;  but  if  your  ambition  soars 
higher  than  this,  avoid  it  as  you  would  the  pesti- 
lence. 

Be  always  strictly  truthful.  There  are  two  prin- 
cipal incentives  to  falsehood — vanity  and  fear. 
Never  seek  self-glorification  by  a  falsehood.  If  fame 
is  not  to  be  won  legitimately,  do  without  it;  and 
never  seek  to  screen  yourself  by  a  falsehood — this  is 
mean  and  cowardly  in  the  last  degree.  '  To  err  is 
human ;  we  are  all  liable  to  make  mistakes  some- 
times such  a  person  as  an  infallible  man,  or  woman, 
or  child  has  never  yet  existed,  and  never  will  exist. 
Therefore,  if  you  make  a  mistake,  have  the  courage 
to  manfully  acknowledge  it  and  take  the  con- 
sequences ;  I  will  answer  for  it  that  they  will  not 


I    QUIT   THE    PATERNAL    ROOF.  3 1 

be  very  dreadful.  A  fault  confessed  is  half  atoned. 
And,  apart  from  the  morality  of  the  thing,  let  me 
tell  you  that  a  reputation  for  truthfulness  is  a  price- 
less possession  to  a  man ;  it  makes  his  services 
doiibly  valuable. 

"  Be  careful  that  you  are  always  strictly  honest, 
honorable,  and  upright  in  your  dealings  with  others. 
Never  let  your  reputation  in  this  respect  be  sullied  by 
so  much  as  a  breath.  And  bear  this  in  mind,  my  boy, 
it  is  not  suificient  that  you  should  he  all  this,  you 
must  also  seem  it,  that  is  to  say  you  must  keep  your- 
self far  beyond  the  reach  of  even  the  barest  suspicion. 
Many  a  man  who,  by  carelessness  or  inexperience, 
has  placed  himself  in  a  questionable  position,  has  been 
obliged  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his  want  of  caution  by 
carrying  about  with  him,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  the 
burden  of  a  false  and  undeserved  suspicion. 

"  And  now  there  is  only  one  thing  more  I  wish  to 
caution  you  against,  and  that  is  vanity.  It  is  a  fail- 
ing which  is  only  too  plainly  perceptible  in  most  boys 
of  your  age,  and — do  not  be  angry,  Dick,  if  I  touch 
the  sore  spot  with  a  heavy  hand ;  it  is  for  youT  own 
good  that  I  do  it — you  have  it  in  a  very  marked 
degree.  Like  most  of  your  compeers  you  think  that, 
having  passed  your  fourteenth  birthday,  you  are  noAV 
a  man^  and  in  many  points  I  notice  that  you  have 
already  begun  to  ape  the  ways  of  men.  Don't  do  it, 
Dick.  Manhood  comes  not  so  early  ;  and  of  all  dis- 
agreeable and  objectionable  characters,  save  me,  I 
pray  you,  from  a  boy  who  mistakes  himself  for  a  man_ 
Manhood,  with  its  countless  cares  and  responsibilities. 


32  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

will  come  soon  enough  ;  whilst  you  are  a  boy  he  a 
boy ;  or,  if  you  insist  on  being  a  man  before  your 
time,  cultivate  those  attributes  which  are  characteris- 
tic of  true  manhood,  such  as  fearless  truth,  scrupulous 
honor,  dauntless  courage,  and  so  on ;  but  donH^  for 
Heaven's  sake,  adopt  the  follies  and  vices  of  men. 
As  1  have  said,  Dick,  vanity  is  certainly  your  great 
weakness,  and  I  want  you  to  be  especially  on  your 
guard  against  it.  It  will  tempt  you  to  tamper  with 
the  truth,  even  it  it  does  no  worse  "  (I  thought 
involuntarily  of  Lady  Mary  and  my  tacit  admis- 
sion of  the  justice  of  Lord  Fitz-Johnes'  impeachment 
of  me  with  regard  to  her),  "  and  it  is  quite  possible 
that  it  may  lead  you  into  a  serious  scrape. 

"  Now,  Dick,  my  boy — my  dear  son — I  have  said 
to  you  all  that  I  think,  even  in  the  slightest  degree, 
necessary  by  way  of  caution  and  advice.  I  can  only 
affectionately  entreat  you  to  remember  and  ponder 
upon  my  words,  and  pray  God  to  lead  you  to  a  right 
understanding  of  them. 

"  And  now,"  he  added,  rising  from  his  seat,  "  I 
think  it  is  time  you  were  on  the  move.  Go  and 
wish  Eva  good-by,  and  then  I  will  drive  you  down 
to  the  Hard — I  see  Edwards  has  brought  round  the 
carriage." 

I  hurried  away  to  the  drawing-room,  where  I 
knew  I  should  find  my  sister,  and,  opening  the  door 
gently,  announced  that  I  had  come  to  say  good-by. 
The  dear  girl,  upon  hearing  my  voice,  rose  up  from 
the  sofa,  in  the  cushion  of  which  she  had  been  hid- 
ing her  tear-stained  face,  and  came  with  unsteady 


I    QUIT   THE    PATERNAL    ROOF.  33 

steps  towards  me.  Then,  as  1  looked  into  her  eyes 
—heavy  with  the  mental  agony  from  which  she  was 
suffering,  and  which  she  bravely  strove  to  hide  for 
my  sake — I  realized,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  all 
the  horror  which  lurks  in  that  dreadful  word  "  Fare- 
well." Meaning  originally  a  benediction,  it  has  be- 
come by  usage  the  word  with  which  we  cut  our- 
selves asunder  from  all  that  is  nearest  and  dearest 
to  us  ;  it  is  the  signal  for  parting ;  the  last  word  we 
address  to  our  loved  ones ;  the  fatal  spell  at  which 
they  lingeringly  and  unwillingly  withdraw  from 
our  clinging  embrace  ;  the  utterance  at  which  the 
hand-clasp  of  friendship  or  of  love  is  loosed,  and  we 
are  torn  apart  never  perhaps  again  to  meet  until 
time  shall  be  no  more. 

My  poor  sister !  It  was  pitiful  to  witness  her  in- 
tense distress.  This  was  our  first  parting.  Never 
before  had  we  been  separated  for  more  than  an  hour 
or  two  at  a  time,  and,  there  being  only  the  two  of 
us,  our  mutual  affection  had  steadily,  though  imper- 
ceptibly, grown  and  strengthened  from  3" ear  to  year 
until  now,  when  to  say  "  good-by  "  seemed  like  the 
rending  of  our  heart-strings  asunder. 

It  had  to  be  said,  however,  and  it  was  said  at  last 
— God  knows  how,  for  my  recollection  of  our  part- 
ing moments  is  nothing  more  than  that  of  a  brief 
period  of  acute  mental  suffering — and  then,  placing 
my  half-swooning  sister  upon  the  couch  and  pressing 
a  last  lingering  kiss  on  her  icy-cold  lips,  I  rushed 
from  the  room  and  the  house. 

My  father  had  already  taken  his  seat  in  the  car- 
3 


34  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

riage ;  my  luggage  was  piled  up  on  the  front  seat 
alongside  the  driver,  and  nothing  therefore  remained 
but  for  me  to  jump  in,  slam  to  the  door,  and  we  were 
off. 

It  seemed  equally  impossible  to  my  father  and  to 
myself  to  utter  a  single  word  during  that  short — ■ 
though,  in  our  then  condition  of  acute  mental  ten- 
sion, all  too  long — drive  to  the  Hard  ;  we  sat  there, 
fore  dumbly  side  by  side,  with  our  hands  clasped, 
until  the  carriage  drew  up,  when  I  sprang  out,  has- 
tily hailed  a  boatman,  and  then  at  once  began  with 
feverish  haste  to  drag  my  belongings  off  the  carriage 
down  into  the  road.  I  had  still  to  say  good-by  to 
my  father,  and  I  felt  that  I  must  shorten  the  time 
as  much  as  possible,  that  ten  minutes  more  of  such 
mental  torture  would  drive  me  mad. 

The  boatman  quickly  shouldered  my  chest,  and, 
gathering  up  the  remainder  of  my  belongings  in 
his  disengaged  hand,  discreetly  trotted  off  to  the 
wherry,  which  he  unmoored  and  drew  alongside  the 
slipway. 

Then  I  turned  to  my  father,  and,  with  the  obtru- 
sive lump  in  my  throat,  by  this  time  grown  so  incon- 
veniently large  that  I  could  scarcely  articulate,  held 
out  my  hand  to  him. 

"  Good-by,  father!  "  I  stammered  out  huskily. 

"  Good-by,  Dick,  my  son,  my  own  dear  boy ! " 
he  returned,  not  less  affected  than  myself.  "  Good- 
by  !  May  God  bless  and  keep  you,  and  in  His  good 
time  bring  you  in  health  and  safety  back  to  us ! 
Amen." 


I   QUIT   THE    PATERNAL   ROOF.  35 

A  quick  convulsive  hand-clasp,  a  last  hungry 
glance  into  the  loving  face  and  the  sorrow-dimmed 
eyes  which  looked  so  longingly  down  into  mine,  and 
with  a  hardly -suppressed  cry  of  anguish  I  tore  my- 
self away,  staggered  blindly  down  the  slipway,  tum- 
bled into  the  boat,  and,  as  gruffly  as  I  could  under 
the  circumstances,  ordered  the  boatman  to  put  me 
on  board  the  Daphne. 


36  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

THE    TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES. 

"  Where  are  we  going,  Tom  ? "  I  asked,  as  the 
boatman,  an  old  chum  of  mine,  proceeded  to  step 
the  boat's  mast.  "  You  surely  don't  need  the  sail  for 
a  run  half-way  across  the  harbor  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  answered  ;  "  no,  I  don't.  But  we're 
bound  out  to  Spithead.  The  Daphne  went  out  this 
mornin'  at  daylight  to  take  in  her  powder,  and  I 
'spects  she's  got  half  of  it  stowed  away  by  this  time. 
Look  out  for  your  head,  Mr.  Dick,  sir,  we  shall  jibe 
in  a  minute." 

I  ducked  my  head  just  in  time  to  save  my  glazed 
hat  from  being  knocked  overboard  by  the  jibing 
mainsail  of  the  boat,  and  then  drew  out  my  hand- 
kerchief and  waved  another  farewell  to  my  father, 
whose  fast-diminishing  figure  I  could  still  make  out 
standing  motionless  on  the  shore,  with  his  hand 
shading  his  e3"es  as  he  watched  the  rapidly  moving 
boat.  He  waved  back  in  answer,  and  then  the  in- 
tervening hull  of  a  ship  hid  him  from  my  view,  and 
I  saw  him  no  more  for  many  a  long  day. 

"  Ah,  it's  a  sorry  business  that,  partin'  with  friends 
and  kinsfolk  when  you're  outward  bound  on  a  long 
cruise  that  you  can't  see  the  end  of !  "  commented 


THE    TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.  37 

my  old  friend  Tom ;  "  but  keep  up  a  good  heart,  Mr. 
Dick ;  it'll  all  be  made  up  to  yer  when  you  comes 
home  again  by  and  by  loaded  down  to  the  scuppers 
with  glory  and  prize-money." 

I  replied  somewhat  drearily  that  I  supposed  it 
would  ;  and  then  Tom — anxious  in  his  rough  kind- 
liness of  heart  to  dispel  my  depression  of  spirits  and 
prepare  me  to  present  myself  among  my  new  ship- 
mates in  a  suitably  cheerful  frame  of  mind — adroitly 
changed  the  subject  and  proceeded  to  put  me  "  up  to 
a  few  moves,"  as  he  expressed  it,  likely  to  prove  use- 
ful to  me  in  the  new  life  upon  which  I  was  about  to 
enter. 

"  And  be  sure,  Mr.  Dick,"  he  concluded,  as  we 
shot  alongside  the  sloop,  "  be  sure  you  remember 
always  to  touch  your  hat  when  you  steps  in  upon 
the  quarter-deck  of  a  man-o'-war,  no  matter  whether 
'tis  your  own  ship  or  a  stranger." 

Paying  the  old  fellow  his  fare,  and  parting  with 
him  with  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  I  sprang  up 
the  ship's  side,  and — remembering  Tom's  parting- 
caution  just  in  the  nick  of  time — presenting  myself 
in  due  form,  upon  the  quarter-deck,  where  the  first 
lieutenant  had  posted  himself  and  from  which  he 
was  directing  the  multitudinous  operations  then 
in  progress,  reported  myself  to  that  much-dreaded 
official  as  "  come  on  board  to  join." 

He  was  a  lather  tall  and  decidedly  handsome  man, 
with  a  gentlemanly  bearing  and  a  well-knit  shapely- 
looking  figure,  dark  hair  and  eyes,  thick  busli}' 
whiskers  meeting  under  the  chin,  and  a  clear  strong 


38  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

melodious  voice,  which,  without  the  aid  of  a  speak- 
ing-trumpet, he  made  distinctly  heard  from  one  end 
of  the  ship  to  the  other.  As  he  stood  there,  in  an 
easy  attitude  with  his  hands  lightly  clasped  behind 
his  back  and  his  eye  taking  in,  as  it  seemed  at  a 
glance,  everything  that  was  going  forward,  he  struck 
me  as  the  heau-ideal  of  a  naval  officer.  I  took  a 
strong  liking  to  him  on  the  spot,  an  instinctive  pre- 
possession which  was  afterwards  abundantly  justi- 
fied, for  Mr.  Austin — that  was  his  name — proved  to 
be  one  of  the  best  ofiicers  it  has  ever  been  my  good 
fortune  to  serve  under. 

"  Oh,  you're  come  on  board  to  join,  eh  ?  "  he  re- 
marked in  response  to  my  announcement.  "I  sup- 
pose you  are  the  young  gentleman  about  whom 
Captain  Yernon  w^as  speaking  to  me  yesterday. 
What  is  your  name  ? " 

I  told  him. 

"  Ah  !  Hawkesley  !  yes,  that  is  the  name.  I  re- 
member now.  Captain  Yernon  told  me  that  al- 
though you  have  never  been  to  sea  as  yet,  you  are 
not  altogether  a  greenhorn.     "What  can  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  can  hand,  reef,  and  steer,  box  the  compass,  pull 
an  oar,  or  sail  a  boat ;  and  I  know  the  name  and 
place  of  every  spar,  sail,  and  rope  throughout  the 
ship." 

"  Aha  !  say  you  so  ?  Then  you  will  prove  indeed 
a  valuable  acquisition.  What  is  the  name  of  this 
rope  ? " 

"  The  main-topgallant  clewline,"  lanswered,  cast- 
ing my  eye  aloft  to  note  the  "  lead  "  of  the  rope. 


THE   TRUTH    ABOUT   FITZ-JOHNES.  39 

"Right!"  he  replied  with  a  smile.  "And  you 
have  the  true  nautical  pronunciation  also,  I  per- 
ceive, Mr.  Johnson  " — to  a  master's  mate  who  hap- 
pened to  be  passing  at  the  moment — "  this  is  Mr. 
Hawkesley.  Kindly  take  him  under  your  wing  and 
induct  him  into  his  quarters  in  the  midshipmen's 
berth,  if  you  please.  Don't  stop  to  stow  away  your 
things  just  now,  Mr.  Hawkesley,"  he  continued. 
"  I  shall  have  an  errand  for  you  in  a  few  minutes." 

"  Yery  well,  sir,"  I  replied.  And  following  my 
new  acquaintance,  I  first  saw  to  the  hoisting  in  of 
my  traps,  and  then  with  them  descended  to  the 
place  which  was  to  be  my  home  for  so  many  months 
to  come. 

This  was  a  tolerably  roomy  but  very  indifferently 
lighted  cabin  on  the  lower  or  orlop  deck,  access  to 
which  was  gained  by  the  descent  of  a  very  steep 
ladder.  The  furniture  was  of  the  most  meager  de- 
scription, consisting  only  of  a  very  solid  deal  table, 
two  equally  solid  forms  or  stools,  and  a  couple  of 
arm-chairs,  one  at  each  end  of  the  table,  all  securely 
lashed  down  to  the  deck.  There  was  a  shelf  with 
a  ledge  along  its  front  edge,  and  divisions  to  form 
lockers,  extending  across  the  after-end  of  the  berth ; 
and  under  this  hung  three  small  bookcases  (which 
I  was  given  to  understand  were  private  property) 
and  a  mirror  six  inches  long  by  four  inches  wide, 
before  which  the  "  young  gentlemen  " — four  in  num- 
ber, including  myself — and  the  two  master's  mates 
had  to  perform  their  toilets  as  best  they  could.  The 
fore  and  after  bulkheads  of  the  apartment  were  fur- 


40  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

nished  with  stout  hooks  to  Avhich  to  suspend  our 
hammocks,  which,  by  the  bye,  when  slung,  left,  I 
noticed,  but  a  very  small  space  on  either  side  of  the 
table ;  and  depending  from  a  beam  overhead  there 
hung  a  common  horn  lantern  containing  the  most 
attenuated  candle  I  ever  saw — a  veritable  "  purser's 
dip."  This  lantern,  which  was  suspended  over  the 
center  of  the  table,  afforded,  except  at  meal-times  or 
other  special  occasions,  the  sole  illumination  of  the 
place.  Although  the  ship  was  new,  and  the  berth 
had  only  been  occupied  a  few  days,  it  was  already 
pervaded  by  a  very  powerful  odor  of  paint  and  stale 
tobacco-smoke,  which  made  me  anxious  to  quit  the 
place  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

Merely  selecting  a  position,  therefore,  for  my 
chest,  and  leaving  to  the  wretched  lad,  whom  ad- 
verse fortune  had  made  the  attendant  of  the  place, 
the  task  of  lashing  it  down,  I  hastened  on  deck  again, 
and  presenting  myself  once  more  before  the  first 
lieutenant,  announced  that  I  was  now  ready  to  exe- 
cute any  commission  with  which  he  might  be  pleased 
to  intrust  me. 

"  Yery  well,"  said  he.  "  I  want  you  to  take  the 
gig  and  proceed  on  board  the  St.  George  with  this 
letter  for  the  first  lieutenant  of  that  ship.  Wait  for 
an  answer,  and  if  he  gives  you  a  parcel  be  very  care- 
ful how  you  handle  it,  as  it  will  contain  articles  of  a 
very  fragile  character  which  must  on  no  account  be 
damaged  or  broken." 

The  gig  was  thereupon  piped  away,  and  when  she 
was  in  the  water  and  her  crew  in  her  I  proceeded  in 


THE   TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.  4I 

my  most  stately  manner  down  the  side  and  flung 
myself  in  an  easily  negligent  attitude  into  the  stern- 
sheets, 

I  felt  at  that  moment  exceedingly  well  satisfied 
with  myself.  I  had  joined  the  ship  but  a  bare  half- 
hour  before  ;  yet  here  I  was,  singled  out  from  the 
rest  of  the  midshipmen  as  the  fittest  person  to  be 
intrusted  with  an  evidently  important  mission.  I 
forgot  not  only  my  father's  caution  against  vanity 
but  also  my  sorrow  at  parting  with  him  ;  my  amour 
fropre  rose  triumphant  above  every  other  feeling  ; 
the  disagreeable  lump  in  my  throat  subsided,  and 
with  an  unconscious,  but  no  doubt  very  ludicrous, 
assumption  of  condescending  authority,  I  gave  the 
order  to — 

"  Shove  off,  and  get  the  muslin  upon  her,  and  see 
that  you  crack  on,  coxsw^ain,  for  I  am  in  a  hurry." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  returned  that  functionary  in  a  very 
respectful  tone  of  voice.  "  Step  the  mast,  for'ard 
there,  you  sea-dogs,  '  and  get  the  muslin  on  her.' " 

With  a  broad  grin,  whether  at  the  verbatim  repe- 
tition of  my  order,  or  in  consequence  of  some  panto- 
mimic gesture  on  the  part  of  the  coxswain,  who 
was  behind  me— I  had  a  sudden  painful  suspicion 
that  it  might  possibly  be  hotli — the  men  sprang  to 
obey  tlie  order  ;  and  in  another  instant  the  mast  was 
stepped,  the  halliard  and  tack  hooked  on,  the  sheet 
led  aft,  and  the  sail  was  all  ready  for  hoisting. 

"  What  d'ye  say,  Tom  ;  shall  us  take  down  a  reef  ? " 
asked  one  of  the  men. 

"  Reef  ?     Ko,  certainly  not.     Didn't  you  hear  the 


42  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

gentleman  say  as  how  we  was  to  '  crack  on  '  because 
he's  in  a  hurry  ?  Give  her  whole  canvas,"  replied 
the  coxswain. 

With  a  shivering  flutter  and  a  sudden  violent  jerk, 
the  sail  was  run  up ;  and,  careening  gunwale-to, 
away  dashed  the  lively  boat  toward  the  harbor. 

It  was  blowing  fresh  and  squally  from  the  east- 
ward, and  for  the  first  mile  of  our  course  there  was 
a  nasty  choppy  sea  for  a  boat.  The  men  flung  their 
oil-skins  over  their  shoulders,  and  ranging  themselves 
along  the  weather  side  of  the  boat,  seated  them- 
selves on  the  bottom-boards,  and  away  we  went, 
jerk-jerking  through  it,  the  sea  hissing  and  foaming 
past  us  to  leeward,  and  the  spray  flying  in  a  contin- 
uous heavy  shower  in  over  the  weather-bow  and 
right  aft,  drenching  me  through  and  through  in  less 
than  five  minutes. 

"  I  am  afeard  you're  gettin'  rayther  wet,  sir,"  re- 
marked the  coxswain  feelingly  when  I  had  just 
about  arrived  at  a  condition  of  complete  saturation  ; 
"  perhaps  you'd  better  have  my  oil-skin,  sir." 

"  No,  thanks,'"  I  replied,  "  I  am  very  comfortable 
as  I  am." 

This  was,  to  put  it  mildly,  a  perversion  of  the  truth. 
I  was  not  very  comfortable  ;  I  was  wet  to  the  skin, 
and  my  bran-new  uniform,  upon  which  I  so  greatly 
prided  myself,  was  just  about  ruined.  But  it  was 
then  too  late  for  the  oil-skin  to  be  of  the  slightest 
benefit  to  me ;  and,  moreover,  I  did  not  choose  that 
those  men  should  think  1  cared  for  so  trifling  a  mat- 
ter as  a  wetting. 


THE   TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.         43 

But  a  certain  scarcely  perceptible  ironical  inflec- 
tion in  the  coxswain's  voice,  when  he  so  kindly  of- 
fered me  the  use  of  his  jumper,  suggested  the  suspi- 
cion that  perhaps  he  was  quietly  amusing  himself 
and  his  shipmates  at  my  expense,  and  that  the 
drenching  I  had  received  was  due  more  to  his  man- 
agement of  the  boat  than  anything  else,  so  I  set  my- 
self quietly  to  watch. 

I  soon  saw  that  my  suspicion  was  well-founded. 
The  rascal,  instead  of  easing  the  boat  and  meeting 
the  heavier  seas  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  was  sail- 
ing the  craft  at  top  speed  right  through  them,  vary- 
ing the  performance  occasionally  by  keeping  the 
boat  broad  away  when  a  squall  struck  her,  causing 
her  to  careen  until  her  gunwale  went  under,  and  as 
a  natural  consequence  shipping  a  great  deal  of 
water. 

At  length  he  rather  overdid  it,  a  squall  striking 
the  boat  so  heavily  that  before  he  could  luff  and 
shake  the  wind  out  of  the  sail  she  had  filled  to  the 
thwarts.  I  thought  for  a  moment  that  we  were 
over,  and  so  did  the  crew  of  the  boat,  who  jumped 
to  their  feet  in  consternation.  Being  an  excellent 
swimmer  myself,  however,  I  managed  to  perfectly 
retain  my  sang-froid^  whilst  I  also  recognized  in  the 
mishap  an  opportunity  to  take  the  coxswain  down  a 
peg  or  two. 

Lifting  my  legs,  therefore,  coolly  up  on  the  side 
seat  out  of  reach  of  the  Avater,  I  said  : 

"  How  long  have  you  been  a  sailor,  coxswain  ?  " 

"  Nigh  on  to  seven  year,  sir.     Now  then,  lads. 


44  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

dowse  the  sail  smartly  and  get  to  work  with  the 
bucket." 

"  Seven  years,  have  you  ? "  I  returned  placidly. 
"  Then  you  ought  to  know  how  to  sail  a  boat  by  this 
time.  I  have  never  yet  been  to  sea ;  but  I  should 
be  ashamed  to  make  such  a  mess  of  it  as  this." 

To  this  my  friend  in  the  rear  vouchsafed  not  a 
word  in  reply,  but  from  that  moment  I  noticed  a 
difference  in  the  behavior  of  the  men  all  round. 
They  found  they  had  not  got  quite  the  greenhorn  to 
deal  with  that  they  had  first  imagined. 

When  at  last  the  boat  was  freed  of  the  water  and 
sail  once  more  made  upon  her,  I  remarked  to  the 
coxswain : 

"  Now,  Tom — if  that  is  your  name — you  have 
amused  yourself  and  your  shipmates  at  my  expense 
— to  your  heart's  content,  I  hope — you  have  played 
off  your  little  practical  joke  upon  me,  and  I  bear  no 
malice.  But — let  there  be  no  more  of  it — do  you 
understand  ? " 

"  Ay  ay,  sir ;  I  underconstumbles,"  was  the  reply, 
"  and  I'm  right  sorry  now  as  I  did  it,  sir,  and  I  axes 
your  parding,  sir ;  that  I  do.  Dash  my  buttons, 
though,  but  you're  a  rare  plucky  young  gentleman, 
you  are,  sir,  though  I  says  it  to  your  face.  And  I 
hopes,  sir,  as  how  you  won't  bear  no  malice  again' 
me  for  just  tryin'  a  bit  to  see  what  sort  o'  stuff  you 
was  made  of,  as  it  were  ? " 

I  eased  the  poor  fellow's  mind  upon  this  point,  and 
soon  afterwards  we  arrived  alongside  the  St.  George. 

I  found  the  first  lieutenant,  and  duly  handed  over 


THE   TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.  45 

my  despatch,  which  he  read  with  a  curious  twitch- 
ing about  the  corners  of  the  mouth. 

Having  mastered  the  contents,  he  retired  below, 
asking  me  to  wait  a  minute  or  two. 

At  that  moment  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a 
midshipman  in  the  main  rigging,  who,  with  exag- 
gerated deliberation,  was  making  his  unwilling  way 
aloft,  to  the  mast-head  as  it  turned  out.  A  certain 
familiar  something  about  the  young  gentleman 
caused  me  to  look  up  at  him  more  attentively ;  and 
I  then  at  once  recognized  my  recent  acquaintance. 
Lord  Fitz-Johnes.  At  the  same  moment  the  second 
lieutenant,  who  was  eying  his  lordship  somewhat 
wrathfully,  hailed  him  Avitli : 

"  Now  then,  Mr.  Tomkins,  are  you  going  to  be  all 
day  on  your  journey  ?  Quicken  your  movements, 
sir,  or  I  will  send  a  boatswain's  mate  after  you  with 
a  rope's  end  to  freshen  j^our  way.  Do  you  hear, 
sir?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  responded  the  ci-devant  Lord  Fitz- 
Johnes — now  plain  Mr.  Tomkins— in  a  squeaky  treble, 
as  he  made  a  feeble  momentary  show  of  alacrity. 
Just  then  I  caught  his  eye,  and,  taking  off  my  hat, 
made  him  an  ironical  bow  of  recognition,  to  which  he 
responded  by  pressing  his  body  against  the  rigging — 
pausing  in  his  upward  journey  to  give  due  effect  to 
the  ceremony — spreading  his  legs  as  Avidely  apart  as 
possible,  and  extending  both  hands  toward  me,  the 
fingers  outspread,  the  thumb  of  the  right  hand  press- 
ing gently  against  the  point  of  his  nose,  and  the  thumb 
of  the  left  interlinked  with  the  right-hand  little  finger. 


46  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

This  salute  was  made  still  more  impressive  by  a 
lengthened  slow  and  solemn  twiddling  of  the  fingers, 
which  was  only  brought  to  an  end  by  the  second 
lieutenant  hailing  : 

"  Mr.  Tomkins,  you  will  oblige  me  by  prolonging 
your  stay  at  the  mast-head  until  the  end  of  the  after- 
noon watch,  if  you  please." 

As  the  answering  "  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  came  sadly  down 
from  aloft,  I  felt  a  touch  on  my  arm,  and,  turning- 
round,  found  my  second  acquaintance,  Lord  Tom- 
noddy, by  my  side.  As  I  looked  at  him,  I  felt 
strongly  inclined  to  ask  him  whether  he  also  had 
changed  his  name  since  our  last  meeting. 

"  Oh,  look  here,  Hawksbill,"  he  commenced,  "  I'm 
glad  you've  come  on  board ;  I  wanted  to  see  you  in 
order  that  I  might  repay  you  the  sovereign  you  lent 
us  the  other  day.  Here  it  is," — selecting  the  coin 
from  a  handful  which  he  pulled  out  of  his  breeches 
pocket  and  thrusting  it  into  my  hand — "  and  I  am 
very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  loan.  I  really 
hadn't  a  farthing  in  my  pocket  at  the  time,  or  I 
wouldn't  have  allowed  Tomkins  to  borrow  it  from 
you — and  it  was  awfully  stupid  of  me  to  let  you  go 
away  without  saying  where  I  could  send  it  to  you." 

"  Pray  do  not  say  anything  further  about  it,  Mr. 
— Mr.— 

''  I  am  Lord  Southdown,  at  your  service — not  Lord 
Tomnoddy,  as  my  whimsical  friend  Tomkins  dubbed 
me  the  other  day.  It  is  perfectly  true,"  he  added 
somewhat  haughtily,  and  then  with  a  smile  resumed : 
"  but  I  suppose  I  must  not  take  offense  at  your  look 


THE   TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.  47 

of  incredulity,  seeing  that  I  was  a  consenting  party 
to  that  awful  piece  of  deception  which  Tomkins 
played  off  upon  you.  Ha,  ha,  ha !  excuse  me,  but 
I  really  wish  you  could  have  seen  yourself  when 
that  mischievous  friend  of  mine  accused  you  of — 
of — what  was  it  ?  Oh,  yes,  of  playing  fast  and  loose 
with  the  affections  of  the  fictitious  Lady  Sara,  or 
whatever  the  fellow  called  her.  And  then  again, 
when  he  remarked  upon  your  extraordinary  resem- 
blance to  Lord — Somebody— another  fictitious  friend 
of  his,  and  directed  attention  to  your  '  lofty  intellect- 
ual forehead,  your  proud  eagle-glance,  your — '  oh 
dear  !   it  was  too  much." 

And  off  went  his  lordship  into  another  paroxsym 
of  laughter,  which  sent  the  tears  coursing  down  his 
cheeks,  and  caused  me  to  flush  most  painfully  with 
mortification. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Hawksbill — "  he  commenced. 

"  My  name  is  TLdcs^Vesley ^  my  lord,  at  your  service," 
I  interrupted,  somewhat  angrily  I  am  afraid. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Ilawkesley  ;  the  mistake 
was  a  perfectly  genuine  and  unintentional  one  I 
assure  you.  I  was  going  to  apologize — as  I  do^  most 
heartilj^,  for  laughing  at  3'ou  in  this  very  impertinent 
fashion.  But,  my  dear  fellow,  let  me  advise  you  as 
a  friend  to  overcome  your  very  conspicuous  vanity. 
I  am,  perhaps,  taking  a  most  unwarrantable  liberty 
in  presuming  to  offer  you  advice  on  so  delicate  a 
subject,  or,  indeed,  in  alluding  to  it  at  all ;  but,  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  taken  rather  a  liking  for 
you  in  spite  of — ah — ahem — that  is  I  mean  that  you 


48  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

struck  me  as  being  a  first-rate  fellow,  notwithstand- 
ing the  little  failing  at  which  I  have  hinted.  You 
are  quite  good  enough  every  way  to  pass  muster 
without  the  necessity  for  any  attempt  to  clothe 
yourself  with  fictitious  attributes  of  any  kind.  Of 
course,  in  the  ordinary  run  of  events  you  will  soon  be 
laughed  out  of  your  weakness — there  is  no  place 
equal  to  a  man-of-war  for  the  speedy  cure  of  that 
sort  of  thing — but  the  process  is  often  a  very  pain- 
ful one  to  the  patient — I  have  passed  through  it  my- 
self, so  I  can  speak  from  experience — so  very  painful 
was  it  to  me  that,  even  at  the  risk  of  being  con- 
sidered impertinent,  I  have  ventured  to  give  you  a 
friendly  caution,  in  the  hope  that  your  good  sense 
Avill  enable  you  to  profit  by  it,  and  so  save  you  many 
a  bitter  mortification.  Now  I  hoj>e  I  have  not 
offended  you  ? " 

"  By  no  means,  my  lord,"  I  replied,  grasping  his 
proffered  hand.  "  On  the  contrary,  I  am  very  sin- 
cerely obliged  to  you—" 

At  this  moment  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  St. 
George  reappeared  on  deck,  and  coming  up  to  me 
with  Mr.  Austin's  letter  open  in  his  hand,  said : 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Austin,  writes  me  that  you  are 
quite  out  of  eggs  on  board  the  Daphne.,  and  asks  me 
to  lend  him  a  couple  of  dozen."  (Here  was  another 
take-down  for  me  ;  the  important  despatch  with 
which  I — out  of  all  the  midshijpmen  on  hoard — had 
been  intrusted  was  simply  a  request  for  the  loan  of 
two  dozen  eggs !)  "  He  sends  to  me  for  them  instead 
of  procuring  them  from   the  shore,  because  he  is 


THE    TRUTH    ABOUT    FITZ-JOHNES.  49 

afraid  you  may  lose  some  of  your  boat's  crew." 
(Evidently,  Mr.  Austin  had  not  the  high  opinion  of 
me  that  I  fondly  imagined  he  had.)  "  I  am  sorry 
to  sa}^  I  cannot  oblige  Mr.  -Austin  ;  but  I  think  we 
can  overcome  the  difficulty  if  you  do  not  mind  being 
delayed  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so.  I  have  a  packet 
which  I  wish  to  send  ashore,  and  if  you  will  give  Lord 
Southdown  here — who  seems  to  be  a  friend  of  yours 
— a  passage  to  the  Hard  and  off  again,  he  will  look 
after  your  boat's  crew  for  you  whilst  you  purchase 
your  eggs." 

I  of  course  acquiesced  in  this  proposal ;  "where- 
upon Lord  Southdown  was  sent  into  the  captain's 
cabin  for  the  packet  in  question ;  and  on  his  re- 
appearance a  few  minutes  later  we  jumped  into  the 
boat  and  went  ashore  together,  his  lordship  regaling 
me  on  the  way  wath  sundry  entertaining  anecdotes 
whereof  his  humorous  friend  Tomkins  was  the  hero. 

We  managed  to  execute  our  respective  errands 
without  losing  any  of  the  boat's  crew  ;  and  duly  put- 
ting Lord  Southdown  on  board  thei^if.  George  again, 
I  returned  triumphantly  to  the  Dapline  with  my 
consignment  of  eggs  and  handed  them  over  intact 
to  Mr.  Austin.  After  which  I  dived  below,  just 
in  time  to  partake  of  the  first  dinner  provided  for 
me  at  the  expense  of  His  Most  Gracious  Majesty 
George  lY. 

For  the  remainder  of  that  day  and  during  the 

whole  of  the  next,  until  nearly  ten  o'clock  at  night, 

we  were  up  to  our  eyes  in  the  business  of  completing 

stores,  etc.,  and  generally,  in  getting  the  ship  ready 

4 


50  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

for  sea ;  and  at  daybreak  on  the  second  morning  after 
I  had  joined,  the  fore-topsail  was  loosed,  blue  peter 
run  up  to  the  fore  royal-mast  head,  the  boats  hoisted 
in  and  stowed,  and  the  messenger  passed,  after  which 
all  hands  went  to  breakfast.  At  nine  o'clock  the 
captain's  gig  was  sent  on  shore,  and  at  11  a.  m.  the 
skipper  came  off ;  his  boat  was  hoisted  up  to  the 
davits,  the  canvas  loosed,  the  anchor  tripped,  and 
away  we  went  down  the  Solent  and  out  past  the 
Needles,  with  a  slashing  breeze  at  e.  s.  e.  and  every 
stitch  of  canvas  set,  from  the  topgallant  studding- 
sails  downwards. 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.       5 1 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

A  BOAT-EXCUKSION  INTO  THE  CONGO. 

Our  skipper's  instructions  were  to  the  effect  that 
he  was,  in  the  first  instance,  to  report  himself  to  the 
governor  of  Sierra  Leone ;  and  it  was  to  that  port, 
therefore,  that  we  now  matle  the  best  of  our  way. 

The  breeze  with  which  we  started  carried  us  hand- 
somely down  channel  and  half-way  across  the  Bay 
of  Biscay,  and  the  ship  proving  to  be  a  regular  flyer, 
everybody,  from  the  skipper  downwards,  was  in  the 
very  best  of  spirits.  Then  came  a  change,  the  wind 
backing  out  from  s.  w.  with  squally  weather  which 
placed  us  at  once  upon  a  taut  bowline ;  and  simul- 
taneously with  this  change  of  weather  a  most  dis- 
agreeable discovery  was  made,  namely,  tliat  the 
Daphne  was  an  exceedingly  crank  ship. 

However,  we  accomplished  the  passage  in  a  little 
over  three  weeks  ;  and  after  remaining  at  Sierra  Leone 
for  a  few  hours  only,  proceeded  for  the  mouth  of 
the  Congo,  off  which  we  expected  to  fall  in  with 
the  Faivn,  which  ship  we  had  been  sent  out  to  relieve. 
Proceeding  under  easy  canvas,  in  the  hope  of  pick- 
ing up  a  prize  by  the  way — in  which  hope,  however, 
we  were  disappointed — we  reached  our  destination 


52  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

in  twenty-three  days  from  Sierra  Leone ;  sighting 
the  Faion  at  daybreak  and  closing  with  her  an  hour 
afterwards.  Her  skipper  came  on  board  the  Dajphne 
and  remained  to  breakfast  with  Captain  Yernon, 
whom — our  skipper  being  a  total  stranger  to  the 
coast — he  posted  up  pretty  thoroughly  in  the  current 
news,  as  well  as  such  of  the  "  dodges  "  of  the  slavers 
as  he  had  happened  to  have  picked  up.  He  said 
that  at  the  moment  there  were  no  ships  in  the  river, 
but  that  intelligence — whether  trustworthy  or  not, 
however,  he  could  not  state — had  reached  him  of 
the  daily-expected  arrival  of  three  ships  from  Cuba. 
He  also  confirmed  a  very  extraordinary  story  which 
had  been  told  our  skipper  by  the  governor  of  Sierra 
Leone,  to  the  effect  that  large  cargoes  of  slaves, 
known  to  have  been  collected  on  shore  up  the  river, 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  slavers,  had  from  time  to 
time  disappeared  in  a  most  mysterious  manner,  at 
times  when,  as  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  no  craft 
but  men-o'-war  were  anywhere  near  the  neighbor- 
hood. At  noon  the  Faion  filled  away  and  bore  up 
for  Jamaica — whither  she  was  to  proceed  prepara- 
tory to  returning  home  to  be  paid  off — her  crew 
manning  the  rigging  and  giving  us  a  parting  cheer  as 
she  did  so ;  and  t^vo  hours  later  her  royals  dipped 
below  the  horizon,  and  we  were  left  alone  in  our 
glory. 

On  parting  from  the  Fawn  we  filled  away  again 
upon  the  starboard  tack,  the  Avind  being  off  the 
shore,  and  at  noon  brought  the  ship  to  an  anchor  in 
nine  fathoms  of  water  off  Padron  Point  (the  project- 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.       53 

ing  headland  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river's 
mouth)  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  only  from  the 
shore.  The  order  was  then  given  for  the  men  to  go 
to  dinner  as  soon  as  that  meal  could  be  got  ready  ;  it 
being  understood  that,  notwithstanding  the  Faion''s 
assurance  as  to  there  being  no  ships  in  the  river,  our 
skipper  intended  to  satisfy  himself  of  that  fact  by 
actual  examination.  Moreover,  the  deserted  state 
of  the  river  afforded  us  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
making  an  unmolested  exploration  of  it — making  its 
acquaintance,  so  to  speak,  in  order  that  at  any  future 
time,  if  occasion  should  arise,  we  might  be  able  to 
make  a  dash  into  it  without  feeling  that  we  were 
doing  so  absolutely  blindfold. 

At  1 :  30  p.  M.  the  gig  was  piped  away  ;  Mr.  Austin 
being  in  charge,  with  me  for  an  aide,  all  hands 
being  fully  armed. 

The  wind  had  by  this  time  died  away  to  a  dead 
calm  ;  the  sun  was  blazing  down  upon  us  as  if  deter- 
mined to  roast  us  as  we  sat ;  and  we  had  a  long  pull 
before  us,  for  although  the  ship  la}^  only  two  miles 
from  the  shore,  we  had  to  round  a  low  spit,  called, 
as  Mr.  Austin  informed  me.  Shark  Point,  six  miles 
away,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  before  we  could 
be  said  to  be  fairly  in  the  river. 

For  this  point,  then,  away  we  stretched,  the  per- 
spiration streaming  from  the  men  at  every  pore. 
Fortunately  the  tide  had  begun  to  make  before  Ave 
started,  and  it  was  therefore  in  our  favor.  We  had 
a  sounding-line  with  us,  which  we  used  at  frequent 
intervals ;  and  by  its  aid  we  ascertained  that  at  a 


54  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

distance  of  one  mile  from  the  shore  the  shallowest 
water  between  the  ship  and  Shark  Point  was  about 
three  and  a  half  fathoms  at  low  water.  This  was 
at  a  spot  distant  some  three  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  point.  Half  a  mile  further  on  we  suddenly 
deepened  our  water  to  forty-five  fathoms ;  and  a  dis- 
tance of  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  point  as 
we  rounded  it,  the  lead  give  us  fifteen  fathoms, 
shortly  afterwards  shoaling  to  six  fathoms,  which 
depth  was  steadily  maintained  for  a  distance  of 
eight  miles  up  the  river,  the  extent  of  our  explora- 
tion on  this  occasion.  On  our  return  journey  we 
kept  a  little  further  off  the  shore,  and  found  a  cor- 
responding increase  in  the  depth  of  water ;  a  result 
which  fully  satisfied  us  that  we  need  have  no  hesi- 
tation about  taking  the  Daphne  inside  should  it  at  any 
time  seem  desirable  so  to  do. 

Immediatel}^  abreast  of  Shark  Point  is  an  exten- 
sive creek  named  Banana  Creek ;  and  hereabouts 
the  river  is  fully  six  miles  wide.  On  making  out  the 
mouth  of  this  creek  it  was  our  first  intention  to  have 
explored  it ;  but  on  rounding  the  point  and  fairly 
entering  the  river,  we  made  out  so  many  snug, 
likel3^-looking  openings  on  the  southern  side  that  we 
determined  to  confine  our  attention  to  that  side 
first. 

In  the  first  place,  immediately  on  rounding  Shark 
Point,  we  discovered  a  bay  at  the  back  of  it,  roughly 
triangular  in  shape,  about  four  miles  broad  across 
the  base,  and  perhaps  three  miles  deep  from  base  to 
apex.     At  the  further  end  of  the  base  of  this  trian. 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.       55 

gular  bay  we  descried  the  mouth  of  the  creek  ;  and 
at  the  apex,  or  bottom  of  the  bay,  another.  The 
latter  of  these  we  examined  first,  making  the  discov- 
ery that  the  mouth,  or  opening,  gave  access  to  three 
creeks  instead  of  one ;  they  were  all,  however,  too 
shallow  to  admit  an3"thing  drawing  over  ten  feet, 
even  at  high  water ;  and  the  land  adjoining  was  also 
so  low  and  the  bush  so  stunted — consisting  almost 
exclusively  of  mangroves — that  only  a  partial  con- 
cealment could  have  been  effected  unless  a  ship's 
upper  spars  were  struck  for  the  occasion.  A  low- 
rigged  vessel,  such  as  a  felucca,  would  indeed  find 
complete  shelter  in  either  of  the  two  westernmost 
creeks — the  easternmost  had  only  three  feet  of 
water  in  it  when,  we  visited  it ;  but  the  shores  on 
either  side  consisted  only  of  brownish-gray  fetid  mud, 
of  a  consistency  little  thicker  than  pea-soup ;  and 
the  facilities  for  embarking  slaves  were  so  utterly 
wanting  that  we  felt  sure  we  need  not  trouble  our- 
selves at  any  future  time  about  either  of  these 
creeks. 

That  other  creek,  that  which  I  have  described  as 
situated  at  the  further  end  of  the  base  of  the  triangla 
forming  the  bay,  was  undoubtedly  more  promising ; 
though,  like  the  others,  it  could  only  receive  craft  of 
small  tonnage,  having  a  little  bar  of  its  own  across 
its  mouth,  on  which,  at  half -tide,  which  was  about 
the  time  of  our  visit,  there  was  only  seven  feet  of 
water.  Its  banks,  however,  were  tolerably  firm  and 
solid ;  the  jungle  was  thicker  and  higher  ;  though 
little  more  than  a  cable's  length  wide  at  its  mouth, 


56  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

it  was  nearly  a  mile  in  width  a  little  further  in  ;  and 
branching  off  from  it,  right  and  left,  there  were 
three  or  four  other  snug-looking  little  creeks, 
wherein  a  ship  of  light  draft  might  lie  as  comfort- 
ably as  if  in  dry-dock,  and  wherein,  by  simply 
sending  down  top-gallant  masts,  she  would  be  per- 
fectly concealed.  Mr.  Austin  would  greatly  have 
liked  to  land  here  and  explore  the  bush  a  bit  on 
each  side  of  the  creek ;  but  our  mission  just  then 
was  to  make  a  rough  survey  of  the  river  rather  than 
of  its  banks,  so  we  reluctantly  made  our  way  back 
once  more  to  the  broad,  rolling  river. 

A  pull  of  a  couple  of  miles  close  along  the  shore 
brought  us  to  the  entrance  of  another  creek,  which 
for  a  length  of  two  miles  averaged  quite  half  a  mile 
wide,  when  it  took  a  sharp  bend  to  the  right,  or  in  a 
southerly  direction,  and  at  the  same  time  narrowed 
dow^n  to  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width. 
For  the  first  two  miles  we  had  plenty  of  water,  that 
is  to  say,  there  was  never  less  than  five  fathoms 
under  our  keel;  but,  with  the  narrowing  of  the 
creek,  it  shoaled  rapidly,  so  that  by  the  time  we 
had  gone  another  mile  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
stream  about  a  hundred  yards  wide  and  only  six 
feet  deep.  The  mangrove  swamp,  however,  had 
ceased  ;  and  the  grassy  banks  shelving  gently  down 
to  the  water  on  each  side,  ended  in  a  narrow  strip  of 
reddish  sandy  beach.  The  bush  here  was  very  dense 
and  the  vegetation  extremely  varied,  whilst  the 
foliage  seemed  to  embrace  literally  all  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow.     Greens,  of  course,  predominated,  but 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO    THE    CONGO.       57 

they  were  of  every  conceivable  shade,  from  the 
pale,  delicate  tint  of  the  young  budding  leaf  to  an 
olive  which  was  almost  black.  Then  there  was  the 
ruddy  bronze  of  leaves  which  appeared  just  ready 
to  fall ;  and,  thickly  interspersed  among  the  greens, 
were  large  bushes,  with  long  lance-shaped  leaves  of 
a  beautifully  delicate  ashen-gray  tint ;  others  glowed 
in  a  rich  mass  of  flaming  scarlet,  whilst  others 
again  had  a  leaf  thickly  covered  with  short,  white, 
sheeny,  satin-like  fur — I  cannot  otherwise  describe 
it — which  gleamed  and  flashed  in  the  sun-rays  as 
though  the  leaves  were  of  polished  silver.  Some  of 
the  trees  were  thickly  covered  with  blossoms,  exqui- 
site both  in  form  and  color  ;  while,  as  to  the  passion- 
plant  and  other  flowering  creepers,  they  were  here, 
there,  and  everywhere,  in  such  countless  varieties 
as  would  have  sent  a  botanist  into  the  seventh 
heaven  of  delight. 

That  this  vast  extent  of  jungle  was  not  tenant- 
less  we  had  frequent  assurance  in  the  sudden,  sharp 
cracking  of  twigs  and  branches,  as  well  as  other 
more  distant  and  more  mysterious  sounds  ;  an  oc- 
casional glimpse  of  a  monkey  was  caught  high 
aloft  in  the  gently  swaying  branches  of  some 
forest  giant;  and  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage,  but 
more  or  less  discordant  cries,  constantly  flitted 
from  bough  to  bough,  or  swept  in  rapid  flight 
across  the  stream. 

We  were  so  enchanted  with  the  beauty  of  this 
secluded  creek  that,  though  the  time  was  flitting 
rapidly  away,  Mr.  Austin  could  not  resist  the  temp- 


58  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

tation  to  push  a  little  further  on,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  we  had  already  penetrated  higher 
than  a  ship,  even  of  small  tonnage,  could  possibly 
reach  ;  and  the  men,  nothing  loath,  accordingly  pad- 
dled gently  ahead  for  another  mile.  At  this  point 
we  discovered  that  the  tide  was  met  and  stopped  by 
a  stream  of  thick,  muddy,  fresh  water ;  the  creek 
or  river,  whichever  you  choose  to  call  it,  had  nar- 
rowed in  until  it  was  only  about  a  hundred  feet 
across,  and  the  water  had  shoaled  to  four  feet.  The 
trees  in  many  places  grew  right  down  to  the  water's 
edge;  the  roots  of  some,  indeed,  were  actually 
covered,  and,  here  and  there,  the  more  lofty  ones, 
leaning  over  the  stream  on  either  side,  mingled  their 
foliage  overhead  and  formed  a  leafv  arch,  com- 
pletely  excluding  the  sun's  rays  and  throwing  that 
part  of  the  river  which  they  overarched  into  a 
deep  green  twilight  shadow,  to  which  the  eye  had 
to  become  accustomed  before  it  was  possible  to 
see  anything.  A  hundred  yards  ahead  of  us  there 
was  a  long,  continuous  tunnel  formed  in  this  way  ; 
and,  on  entering  it,  the  men  with  one  accord  rested 
on  their  oars  and  allowed  the  boat  to  glide  onward 
by  her  own  momentum,  whilst  they  looked  around 
them,  lost  in  wonder  and  admiration. 

As  we  shot  into  this  watery  lane,  and  the  roll  of 
the  oars  in  the  rowlocks  ceased,  the  silence  became 
profound,  almost  oppressively  so,  marked  and  em- 
phasized as  it  was  by  the  lap  and  gurgle  of  the  water 
against  the  boat's  planking.  Not  a  bird  was  here  to 
be  seen  ;  not  even  an  insect — except  the  mosquitoes, 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.       59 

by  the  by,  "vvhich  soon  began  to  swarm  round  us  in 
numbers  amply  sufficient  to  atone  for  the  absence  of 
all  other  life.  But  the  picture  presented  to  our  view- 
by  the  long  avenue  of  variegated  foliage,  looped  and 
festooned  in  every  direction  with  flowery  creepers 
loaded  with  blooms  of  the  most  gorgeous  hues  ;  and 
the  deep  green — almost  black — shadows,  contrasted 
here  and  there  with  long  arrowy  shafts  of  greenish 
light  glancing  down  through  invisible  openings  in 
the  leafy  arch  above,  and  lighting  up  into  promi- 
nence some  feathery  spray  or  drooping  flowery 
wreath,  was  enchantingly  beautiful. 

We  were  all  sitting  motionless  and  silent,  wrapped 
in  admiration  of  the  enchanting  scene,  all  the 
more  enchanting,  perhaps,  to  us  from  its  striking  con- 
trast to  the  long  monotony  of  sea  and  sky  only  upon 
w^hich  our  eyes  had  so  lately  rested,  when  a  slight, 
sharp,  crackling  sound — proceeding  from  apparently 
but  a  short  distance  off  in  the  bush  on  our  port  bow 
— arrested  our  attention.  The  boat  had  by  this  time 
lost  her  way,  and  the  men,  abruptly  roused  from 
their  trance  of  wondering  admiration,  were  about 
once  more  to  dip  their  oars  in  the  water  when  Mr. 
Austin's  uplifted  hand  arrested  them. 

The  sounds  continued  at  intervals  ;  and  presently, 
without  so  much  as  the  rustling  of  a  bough  to  pre- 
pare us  for  the  apparition,  a  magnificent  antelope 
emerged  from  the  bush  about  fifty  yards  away,  and 
stepped  daintily  down  into  the  w^ater.  His  quick 
eye  detected  in  an  instant  the  unwonted  presence  of 
our  boat  and  ourselves,  and  instead  of  bowing  his 


6o  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

head  at  once  to  drink,  as  had  evidently  been  his  first 
intention,  he  stood  motionless  as  a  statue,  gazing 
wonderingly  at  us.  He  was  a  superb  creature,  stand- 
ing as  high  at  the  shoulders  as  a  cow,  with  a  smooth, 
glossy  hide  of  a  very  light  chocolate  color — except 
along  the  belly  and  on  the  inner  side  of  the  thighs, 
where  the  hair  was  milk-"white — and  long,  sharp, 
gracefully  curving  horns.  We  were  so  close  to  him 
that  we  could  even  distinguish  the  greenish  lambent 
gleam  of  his  eyes. 

Mr,  Austin  very  cautiously  reached  out  his  hand 
for  a  musket  which  lay  on  the  thwart  beside  him, 
and  had  almost  grasped  it,  when — in  the  millionth 
part  of  a  second,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  so  rapid  was  it 
— there  was  a  flashing  swirl  of  water  directly  in  front 
of  the  deer,  and  before  the  startled  creature  had  time 
to  make  so  much  as  a  single  movement  to  save  itself, 
an  immense  alligator  had  seized  it  by  a  foreleg  and 
was  tug-tugging  at  it  in  an  endeavor  to  drag  it  into 
deep  water.  The  deer,  however,  though  taken  by 
surprise  and  at  a  disadvantage,  was  evident!}^  deter- 
mined not  to  yield  without  a  struggle,  and,  lowering 
his  head,  he  made  lunge  after  lunge  at  his  antagonist 
with  the  long,  sharply  pointed  horns  which  had  so 
excited  my  admiration,  holding  bravely  back  with 
his  three  disengaged  legs  the  while. 

"  Give  wa}^,  men,"  shouted  Mr.  Austin  in  a  voice 
which  made  the  leafy  archway  ring  again.  "  Steer 
straight  for  the  crocodile,  Tom ;  plump  the  boat  right 
on  him  ;  and,  bow-oar,  lay  in  and  stand  by  to  prod 
the  fellow  with  your  boat-hook,     Drive  it  into  hinj 


i 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO    THE    CONGO,      6 1 

under  the  arm-pit  if  you  can ;  that,  I  believe,  is  his 
most  vulnerable  part." 

Animated  by  the  first  lieutenant's  evident  excite- 
ment, the  men  dashed  their  oars  into  the  water,  and, 
with  a  tug  which  made  the  stout  ash  staves  buckle 
like  fishing-rods,  sent  the  boat  forward  with  a 
rush. 

The  alligator — or  crocodile,  whichever  he  hap- 
pened to  be — was,  however,  in  the  meantime,  getting 
the  best  of  the  struggle,  dragging  the  antelope 
steadily  ahead  into  deeper  water  every  instant,  in 
spite  of  the  beautiful  creature's  desperate  resistance. 
We  were  only  a  few  seconds  in  reaching  the  scene 
of  the  conflict,  yet  during  that  brief  period  the  buck 
had  been  dragged  forward  until  the  water  was  up 
to  his  belly. 

"  Hold  water !  back  hard  of  all !  "  cried  Mr.  Aus- 
tin, standing  up  in  the  stern-sheets,  musket  in  hand, 
as  we  ranged  up  alongside  the  frantic  deer.  "  Now 
give  it  him  with  your  boat-hook ;  drive  it  well  home 
into  him.  That's  your  sort,  Ben  ;  another  like  that, 
and  he  onust  let  go.     Well  struck  !  now  another — " 

Bang ! 

The  crocodile  had  suddenly  released  his  hold  upon 
the  antelope ;  and  the  creature  no  sooner  felt  itself 
free  than  it  wheeled  around,  and,  on  three  legs — the 
fourth  was  broken  above  the  knee-joint,  or  probably 
hitteii  in  two — made  a  gallant  dash  for  the  shore. 
But  our  first  lieutenant  was  quite  prepared  for  such 
a  movement,  had  anticipated  it,  in  fact,  and  the  buck 
had,  barely  emerged  from  the  water  when  he  was 


62  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

cleverly  dropped  by  a  bullet  from  Mr.  Austin's 
musket. 

The  boat  was  thereupon  promptly  beached,  the 
buck's  throat  cut,  and  the  carcass  stowed  away  in 
the  stern-sheets,  which  it  pretty  completely  filled. 
We  were  just  about  to  shove  off  again  when  the  first 
lieutenant  caught  sight  of  a  banana-tree,  with  the 
fruit  just  in  right  condition  for  cutting ;  so  we  added 
to  our  spoils  three  huge  bunches  of  bananas,  each  as 
much  as  a  man  could  conveniently  carry. 

The  deepening  shadows  now  warned  us  that  the 
sun  was  sinking  low  ;  so  we  shoved  off  and  made  the 
best  of  our  way  back  to  the  river.  When  we  reached 
it  we  found  that  there  was  a  small  drain  of  the  flood- 
tide  still  making,  and,  the  land-breeze  not  yet  having 
sprung  up,  Mr.  Austin  determined  to  push  yet  a  little 
higher  up  the  river.  The  boat's  head  was  accord- 
ingly pointed  to  the  eastward,  and,  four  miles  further 
on,  we  hit  upon  another  opening  into  which  we  at 
once  made  our  way. 

We  had  no  sooner  entered  this  creek,  however, 
than  we  found  that,  like  the  first  we  had  visited,  it 
forked  into  two,  one  branch  of  which  trended  to  the 
southwest  and  the  other  in  a  southeasterly  direction. 
We  chose  the  latter,  and  soon  found  ourselves  pull- 
ing along  a  channel  very  similar  to  the  last  one  we 
had  explored,  except  that,  in  the  present  instance, 
the  first  of  a  chain  of  hills,  stretching  away  to  the 
eastward,  lay  at  no  great  distance  ahead  of  us,  A 
pull  of  a  couple  of  miles  brought  us  to  a  bend  in  the 
stream ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  afterwards  we  found 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.      63 

ourselves  sweeping  along  close  to  the  base  of  the 
hills,  in  a  channel  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide 
and  with  from  three  to  four  and  a  half  fathoms  of 
water  under  us.  Twenty  minutes  later  the  channel 
again  divided,  one  branch  continuing  on  in  an  east- 
erly direction,  whilst  the  other — which  varied  from 
a  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  Avidth — branched 
off  abruptly  to  the  northward  and  westward.  Mr. 
Austin  chose  this  channel,  suspecting  that  it  would 
lead  into  the  river  again,  a  suspicion  which  another 
quarter  of  an  hour  proved  correct. 

The  sun  was  by  this  time  within  half  an  hour  of 
setting,  and  Shark  Point — or  rather  the  tops  of  the 
mangroves  growing  upon  it — lay  stretched  along 
the  horizon  a  good  eleven  miles  off,  so  it  was  high 
time  to  see  about  returning.  But  the  tide  had  by 
this  time  turned  and  was  running  out  pretty  strongly 
in  mid-channel ;  the  land-breeze  also  had  sprung  up, 
and,  tliougli  where  we  were,  close  inshore,  we  did 
not  feel  very  much  of  it,  was  swaying  the  tops  of 
the  more  lofty  trees  in  a  way  which  I  am  sure  must 
have  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  boat's  crew  ;  so  the 
oars  were  laid  in,  the  mast  stepped,  and  the  lug 
hoisted,  and  in  another  ten  minutes  we  were  bowling 
down  stream — Avhat  with  the  current  and  the  breeze, 
both  of  which  we  got  in  their  full  strength  as  soon 
as  we  had  hauled  a  little  further  out  from  the  bank — 
at  the  rate  of  a  good  honest  ten  knots  per  hour. 

The  sun  went  down  in  a  bewildering  blaze  of 
purple  and  crimson  and  gold  when  we  were  within 
five  miles  of  Shark  Point ;  and,  ten  minutes  after- 


64  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

wards,  night — the  glorious  night  of  the  tropics — was 
upon  us  in  all  its  loveliness.  The  heavens  were 
destitute  of  cloud — save  a  low  bank  down  on  the 
western  horizon — and  the  soft  velvety  blue-black  of 
the  sky  was  literally  powdered  with  countless  mil- 
lions of  glittering  gems.  I  do  not  remember  that 
I  ever  before  or  since  saw  so  many  of  the  smaller 
stars ;  and  as  for  the  larger  stars  and  the  planets, 
they  shone  down  upon  us  with  an  effulgence  which 
caused  them  to  be  reflected  in  long  shimmering  lines 
of  golden  light  upon  the  turbid  water. 

Presently  the  boat's  lug-sail,  which  spread  above 
and  before  us  like  a  great  blot  of  ghostly  gray 
against  the  starlit  sky,  began  perceptibly  to  pale  and 
brighten,  until  it  stood  out  clear  and  distinct,  bathed 
in  richest  primrose  light,  with  the  shadow  of  the 
mast  drawn  across  it  in  ebony-black.  Striking  the 
top  of  the  sail  first,  the  light  swept  gradually  down ; 
and  in  less  than  a  minute  the  whole  of  the  boat, 
with  the  crew  and  ourselves,  were  completely  bathed 
in  it.  I  looked  behind  me  to  ascertain  the  cause  of 
this  sudden  glorification,  and,  behold  !  there  was 
the  moon  sweeping  magnificently  into  view  above 
the  distant  tree-tops,  her  full  orb  magnified  to  three 
or  four  times  its  usual  dimensions  and  painted  a 
glorious  ruddy  orange  by  the  haze  which  began  to 
rise  from  the  bosom  of  the  river.  Under  the  magic 
effect  of  the  moonlight  the  noble  river,  with  its 
background  of  trees  and  bush  rising  dim  and  ghostly 
above  the  wreathing  mist  and  its  swift  flowing 
waters  shimmering  in  the  golden  radiance,  presented 


A    BOAT-EXCURSION    INTO   THE    CONGO.      65 

a  picture,  the  dream-like  beauty  of  which  words  are 
Avliolly  inadequate  to  describe.  But  I  am  willing 
to  confess  that  my  admiration  lost  a  great  deal  of  its 
ardor  when  Mr.  Austin  informed  me  that  the  mist 
which  imparted  so  subtle  a  charm  to  the  scene  was 
but  the  forerunner  of  the  deadly  miasmatic  fog 
which  makes  the  Congo  so  fatal  a  river  to  Euro- 
peans ;  and  I  was  by  no  means  sorry  when  we  found 
ourselves  three-quarters  of  an  hour  later,  once  more 
in  safety  alongside  the  Daphne^  having  succeeded 
in  making  good  our  escape  before  the  pestilential 
fog  overtook  us.  Our  prizes,  the  buck  and  the 
bananas,  were  cordially  welcomed  on  board  the  old 
barkie ;  the  bananas  being  carefully  suspended  from 
the  spanker-boom  to  ripen  at  their  leisure  whilst  the 
buck  was  handed  over  to  the  butcher  to  be  operated 
upon  forthwith,  so  far  at  least  as  the  flaying  was 
concerned ;  and  on  the  morrow  all  hands,  fore  and 
aft,  enjoyed  the  unwonted  luxury  of  venision  for 
dinner. 

Mr.  Austin  having  duly  reported  to  Captain 
Vernon  that  the  river  was  just  then  free  of  shipping, 
we  hove  up  the  anchor  that  same  evening,  at  the 
end  of  the  second  dog-watch,  and  stood  off  from  the 
land  all  night  under  easy  canvas. 
5 


66  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE      "  VESTAL  E. 


About  three  bells  in  the  forenoon  watch  next 
morning  the  look-out  aloft  reported  a  sail  on  the 
larboard  bow  ;  and,  on  being  questioned  in  the 
usual  manner  he  shouted  down  to  us  the  further  in- 
formation that  the  stranger  was  a  brig  working  in 
for  the  land  on  the  starboard  tack  under  top  gallant 
sails,  and  that  she  had  all  the  look  of  a  man-o'-war. 

By  six  bells  we  had  closed  each  other  within  a 
mile ;  and  a  few  minutes  afterwards  the  stranger 
crossed  our  bows,  and,  laying  her  main  topsail  to 
the  mast,  lowered  a  boat.  Perceiving  that  her  cap- 
tain wanted  to  speak  us,  we  of  course  at  once  hauled 
our  wind,  and,  backing  our  main  topsail,  hove  to 
about  a  couple  of  cables'  lengths  to  windward  of  the 
brig. 

She  was  as  beautiful  a  craft  as  a  seaman's  eye  had 
ever  rested  on  ;  long  and  low  upon  the  water,  with 
a  superbly-modeled  hull,  enormously  lofty  masts 
with  a  saucy  rake  aft  to  them,  and  very  taut  heavy 
yards.  She  mounted  seven  guns  of  a  side,  appar- 
ently of  the  same  description  and  weight  as  our  own 
— long  18-pounders,  and  there  was  what  looked  sus- 


THE    "  VESTALE."  67 

piciously  like  a  long  32-pounder  on  her  forecastle. 
She  was  flying  French  colors,  but  she  certainly 
looked  at  least  as  much  like  an  English  as  she  did 
like  a  French  ship. 

The  boat  dashed  alongside  us  in  true  man-o'-war 
style ;  our  side  was  duly  manned,  and  presently 
there  entered  through  the  gangway  a  man  dressed 
in  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant  in  the  French  navy. 
He  was  of  medium  height,  and  rather  square  built ; 
his  skin  was  tanned  to  a  deep  mahogany  color  ;  his 
hair  and  bushy  beard  were  jet  black,  as  also  were 
his  piercing,  restless  eyes ;  and  though  rather  a 
handsome  man,  his  features  wore  a  fierce  and  repel- 
lant  expression,  which,  however,  passed  away  as 
soon  as  he  began  to  speak. 

"  Bon  jour,  m'sieu,"  he  began,  raising  his  uniform 
cap  and  bowing  to  Mr.  Austin,  who  met  him  at  the 
gangway.     "  What  ship  dis  is,  eh  ? " 

"  This,  sir,  is  His  Britannic  Majesty's  sloop 
Daphne.     "What  brig  is  that  %  " 

"  That,  sair,  is  the  Franch  brigue  of  war  Yestale  ; 
and  I  am  Jules  Le  Breton,  her  first  leeftant,  at  your 
serveece.     Are  you  le  capitaine  of  this  vaisseau  ? " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  am  the  first  lieutenant,  and  my  name 
is  Austin,"  with  a  bow.  "  Captain  Yernon  is  in  his 
cabin.     Do  you  wish  to  see  him  ? " 

At  that  moment  the  skipper  made  his  appearance 
from  below,  and  stepping  forward,  the  French 
lieutenant  was  presented  to  him  with  all  due  for- 
mality by  Mr.  Austin. 

It  being  my  watch  on  deck,  I  was  promenading 


68  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

fore  and  aft  just  to  leeward  of  the  group,  and  conse- 
quently overheard  pretty  nearly  everything  that 
passed.  The  Vestale,  it  appeared  from  M.  Le  Bre- 
ton's statement,  had  just  returned  to  the  coast  from 
a  fruitless  chase  half  across  the  Atlantic  after  a  large 
bark  which  had  managed  to  slip  out  of  the  Congo 
and  dodge  past  them  some  three  weeks  previously, 
and  she  was  now  about  to  look  in  there  once  more 
in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  better  fortune.  And, 
judging  from  the  course  we  were  steering  that  we 
had  just  left  the  river,  M.  Le  Breton  had,  "  by 
order  of  Capitaine  Dubose,  ventured  upon  the 
liberte"  of  boarding  us  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
latest  news. 

The  skipper  of  course  mentioned  our  exploring 
expedition  of  the  previous  day,  assured  him  of  the 
total  absence  of  all  ships  from  the  river,  and  finally 
invited  him  into  the  cabin  to  take  wine  with  him. 

They  were  below  fully  half  an  hour,  and  when 
they  returned  to  the  deck  the  Frenchman  was  chat- 
tering away  in  very  broken  English  in  the  most 
lively  manner,  and  gesticulating  with  his  hands  and 
shoulders  as  only  a  Frenchman  can.  But  notwith- 
standing the  animation  with  which  he  was  con- 
versing, I  could  not  help  noticing  that  his  eyes  were 
all  over  the  ship,  not  in  an  abstracted  fashion,  but 
evidently  with  the  object  of  thoroughly  "taking 
stock "  of  us.  It  struck  me,  too,  that  his  English 
was  too  broken  to  be  quite  genuine — or  rather,  to 
be  strictly  correct,  that  it  w^as  not  always  broken  to 
the  same  extent.     For  instance,  he  once   or  twice 


THE    "  VESTALE."  69 

used  the  word  "the,"  uttering  it  as  plainly  as  I 
could ;  and  at  other  times  I  noticed  that  he  called 
it  "  ze  "  or  "  dee."  And  I  detected  him  rine^ino^  the 
changes  in  like  manner  on  several  other  words. 
From  which  I  inferred  that  he  was  not  altogether 
as  fair  and  above-board  with  us  as  he  wished  us  to 
believe.  I  felt  half  disposed  to  seize  an  early  op- 
portunity to  mention  the  matter  to  Mr.  Austin  ; 
but  then,  on  the  other  hand,  I  reflected  that  M.  Le 
Breton  could  hardly  have  any  possible  reason  for 
attempting  to  deceive  us  in  any  way,  and  so  for  the 
moment  the  matter  passed  out  of  my  mind. 

At  length  our  visitor  bowed  himself  down  over 
the  side,  throwing  one  last  lingering  look  round  our 
decks  as  he  did  so,  and  in  another  five  minutes  was 
once  more  on  board  his  own  ship,  which,  hoisting 
up  her  boat,  filled  her  main  topsail,  and,  with  a  dip 
of  her  ensign  by  way  of  "  good-by,"  resumed  her 
course. 

"  Thank  Heaven  I've  got  rid  of  the  fellow  at 
last ! "  exclaimed  CajDtain  Yernon  with  a  laugh, 
when  the  brig  was  once  more  fairly  under  weigh. 
"  He  has  pumped  me  dry  ;  such  an  inquisitive  in- 
dividual I  think  I  never  in  my  life  encountered 
before.  But  I  fancy  I  have  succeeded  in  persuading 
him  that  he  will  do  no  good  by  hanging  about  the 
coast  hereabouts.  We  Avant  no  Frenchmen  to  help 
us  with  our  work ;  and  I  gave  him  so  very  dis- 
couraging an  account  of  the  state  of  things  here, 
that  I  expect  they  will  take  a  trip  northward  after 
looking  into  the  river." 


70  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

We  continued  running  off  the  land  for  the  re- 
mainder of  that  day,  the  whole  of  the  following 
night,  and  up  to  noon  next  day,  with  a  breeze  which 
sent  us  along,  under  topsails  only,  at  a  rate  of  about 
six  knots  an  hour.  On  the  following  day,  at  six 
bells  in  the  forenoon  watch  (11  a.m.),  the  look-out 
aloft  reported  a  something  which  he  took  to  be 
floating  wreckage,  about  three  points  on  the  port 
bow ;  and  Mr.  Smellie,  our  second  lieutenant,  at 
once  went  aloft  to  the  foretopmast-crosstrees  to 
have  a  look  at  it  through  his  telescope.  A  single 
glance  sufficed  to  acquaint  him  with  the  fact  that 
the  object,  which  was  about  six  miles  distant,  was  a 
raft  with  people  upon  it,  who  were  making  such 
signals  as  it  was  in  their  power  to  make  with  the 
object  of  attracting  our  attention.  Upon  the  receipt 
of  this  news  on  deck.  Captain  Yernon  at  once  ordered 
the  ship's  course  to  be  altered  to  the  direction  of 
the  raft,  a  gun  being  fired  and  the  ensign  run  up  to 
the  gaff-end  at  the  same  time. 

It  was  a  trifle  past  noon  when  the  Daphne 
rounded-to  about  a  hundred  yards  to  windward  of 
the  raft,  and  sent  away  a  boat  to  pick  up  those  upon 
it.  It  w^as  a  wretched  make-shift  structure,  com- 
posed of  a  spar  or  two,  some  half-burned  hen-coops, 
and  a  few  pieces  of  charred  bulwark-planking ;  and 
was  so  small  that  there  was  scarcely  room  on  it  for 
the  fourteen  persons  it  sustained.  It  was  a  most 
fortunate  circumstance  for  them  that  the  weather 
happened  to  be  fine  at  the  time  ;  for  had  there  been 
any  great  amount  of  sea  running,  the  crazy  concern 


THE        VESTALE.  71 

could  not  have  been  kept  together  for  half  an  hour. 
"We  concluded  from  the  appearance  of  the  affair 
that  the  castaways  had  been  burned  out  of  their 
ship  ;  and  so  they  had,  but  not  in  the  manner  we 
supposed.  As  we  closed  with  the  raft  it  was  seen 
that  several  sharks  were  cruising  longingly  round 
and  round  it,  and  occasionally  charging  at  it,  evi- 
dently in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  drag  off  some  of 
its  occupants.  So  pertinacious  were  these  ravenous 
fish  that  tiie  boat's  crew  had  to  fairly  fight  their 
way  through  them,  and  even  to  beat  them  off  with 
the  oars  and  stretchers  when  they  had  got  alongside. 
However,  the  poor  wretches  were  rescued  without 
accident ;  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  from  the  time 
of  despatching  the  boat  she  was  once  more  swinging 
at  the  davits,  with  the  rescued  men,  most  of  whom 
were  suffering  more  or  less  severely  from  burns, 
safely  below  in  charge  of  the  doctor  and  his  as- 
sistant. 

Later  on,  when  their  injuries  had  been  attended 
to  and  the  cravings  of  their  hunger  and  thirst  satisfied 
— they  had  neither  eaten  nor  drunk  during  the  pre- 
vious forty-two  hours — Captain  Yernon  sent  for  the 
skipper  of  the  rescued  crew,  to  learn  from  him  an 
account  of  the  mishap. 

His  story  as  related  to  me  by  him  during  the 
second  dog  watch,  was  to  the  following  effect : — 

"  My  name  is  Richards,  and  my  ship,  which  hailed 
from  Liverpool,  was  called  the  Juliet.  She  Avas  a 
bark  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons   register,  oak 


72  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

built  and  copper  fastened  throughout,  and  was  only 
five  years  old. 

"  Fifty-four  days  ago  to-da}''  we  cleared  from  Liver- 
pool for  St.  Paul  de  Loando  with  a  cargo  of  Man- 
chester and  Birmingham  goods,  sailing  the  same  day 
with  the  afternoon  tide. 

"  All  went  well  with  us  until  the  day  before  last, 
when  just  before  eight  bells  in  the  afternoon  watch, 
one  of  the  hands,  who  had  gone  aloft  to  stow  the 
maintopgallant-sail,  reported  a  sail  dead  to  leeward  of 
us  under  a  heavy  press  of  canvas.  I  have  been  to  St. 
Paul  twice  before,  and  know  pretty  well  the  char- 
acter of  this  coast ;  moreover,  on  my  first  trip  I  was 
boarded  and  plundered  b}^  a  rascally  Spaniard  ;  so  I 
thought  I  would  JList  step  up  aloft  and  take  a  look  at 
the  stranger  through  my  glass  at  once.  "Well,  sir,  I 
did  so,  and  the  conclusion  I  came  to  was,  that  though 
it  was  blowing  very  fresh  I  would  give  the  ship  every 
stitch  of  canvas  I  could  show  to  it.  The  strange  sail 
was  a  brig  of  about  three  hundred  tons  or  thereabouts, 
with  very  taut  spars,  a  tremendous  spread  of  can- 
vas, and  her  hull  painted  dead  black  down  to  the  cop- 
per, which  had  been  scoured  until  it  fairly  shone 
again.  I  didn't  at  all  like  the  appearance  of  my 
newly-discovered  neighbor  ;  the  craft  had  a  wicked 
look  about  her  from  her  truck  down  and  the  press 
of  sail  she  was  carrying  seemed  to  bode  me  no  good. 
So,  as  the  Juliet  happened  to  be  a  pretty  smart 
vessel  under  her  canvas,  and  in  splendid  sailing 
trim,  I  thought  I  would  do  what  I  could  to  keep 
the  stranger  at  arms'-length,  and  when  the  watch 


THE        VESTALE."  73 

was  called,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  I  got  the  top- 
gallant-sails, royals,  flying  jib,  maiutopgallant,  royal 
and  mizzen-topmast  staysails  all  on  the  old  barkie 
again,  and  we  began  to  smoke  through  it,  I  can  tell 
you.  That  done,  I  set  the  stranger  by  compass,  and 
for  the  first  hour  or  so  thought  we  were  holding  our 
own ;  but  by  sunset  I  could  see — a  great  deal  too 
plainly  for  my  own  comfort — that  the  brig  was 
both  weathering  and  f  orereaching  upon  us.  Still  she 
was  a  long  way  off,  and  had  the  night  been  dark  I 
should  have  tried  to  dodge  the  fellow  ;  but  that  unfor- 
tunately was  no  use ;  the  sun  was  no  sooner  set  than 
the  moon  rose,  and  of  course  he  could  see  us  even 
more  plainly  than  we  could  see  him.  At  seven  o'clock 
he  tacked,  and  then  I  felt  pretty  sure  he  meant  mis- 
chief;  and  when,  at  a  little  before  eight  bells,  he 
tacked  again,  this  time  directly  in  our  wake,  I  had  no 
further  doubt  about  it.  At  this  time  he  was  about 
eight  miles  astern  of  us,  and  at  midnight  he  ranged 
up  on  our  weather  quarter,  slapped  his  broadside  of 
seven  18-pound  shot  right  into  us  without  a  word  of 
warning  and  ordered  us  to  at  once  heave-to.  My 
owners  had  unfortunately  sent  me  to  sea  with  only 
half  a  dozen  muskets  on  board,  and  not  an  ounce  of 
powder  or  shot ;  so  what  could  I  do  ?  Nothing  of 
course  but  heave-to  as  I  A\^as  bid  ;  and  we  accordingly 
backed  the  main  topsail  without  a  moment's  delay. 
The  brig  then  did  the  same,  and  lowered  a  boat, 
which  five  minutes  later  dashed  alongside  us  and 
threw  in  upon  our  decks  a  crew  of  seventeen  as  blood- 
thirsty-looking ruffians  as  one  need  ever  wish  to  see. 


74  THE   CONGO    ROVERS, 

"We  were,  all  hands  fore  and  aft,  at  once  bound  neck 
and  heels  and  huddled  together  aft  on  the  monkey- 
poop,  with  two  of  the  pirates  mounting  guard  over 
us,  and  then  the  rest  of  the  gang  coolly  set  to  work 
and  ransacked  the  ship.  The  fellow  in  command  of 
the  party — a  man  about  five  feet  six  inches  in  height 
square  built,  with  deeply  bronzed  features  and  black 
hair  and  beard — made  it  his  first  business  to  hunt 
for  the  manifest ;  and  having  ascertained  from  it  that 
we  had  amongst  the  cargo  several  bolts  of  canvas,  a 
large  quantity  of  new  rope,  four  cases  of  watches  and 
jewelry,  and  a  dozen  cases  of  beads,  he  first  ordered 
me,  in  broken  English,  to  inform  him  where  these 
articles  were  stowed,  and  then  had  the  hatches 
stripped  off  and  the  cargo  roused  on  deck  until  he 
could  get  at  them.  When  the  beads,  rope,  canvas, 
and  other  matters  that  he  took  a  fancy  to,  amount- 
ing to  six  boat-loads,  had  been  transferred  to  the 
brig,  he  informed  me  that  I  must  point  out  to  him 
the  spot  where  I  had  concealed  the  money  which  he 
knew  to  be  on  board.  Now  it  so  happened  that  I  had 
710  money  on  board  ;  my  owners  are  dreadfully  suspi- 
cious people,  and  will  not  intrust  ariybody  with  a  shil- 
ling more  than  they  can  help — and  many  a  good 
fifty-pound  note  has  missed  its  way  into  their  pockets 
through  their  over-cautiousness  :  but  that's  neither 
here  nor  there.  Well,  I  told  the  fellow  we  had  no 
money  on  board,  whereupon  he  whipped  out  his  watch 
and  told  me  out  loud,  so  that  all  hands  could  hear, 
that  he  would  give  us  five  minutes  in  which  to  make 
up  our  minds  whether  we  would  hand  o\qy  the  cash 


THE    "  VESTALE."  75 

or  not ;  and  if  we  decided  not  to  do  so  he  would  at 
the  end  of  that  time  set  fire  to  the  ship  and  leave  us 
all  to  burn  in  her.  And  that's  just  exactly  what  he 
did." 

"  He  actually  set  fire  to  the  ship  !  "  said  I.  "  But 
of  course  he  cast  you  all  adrift  first,  and  gave  you  at 
least  a  chance  to  save  your  lives  ^ " 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  he  did,  sir,"  replied  the  mer- 
chant-skipper. "  When  the  five  minutes  had  expired 
he  called  for  a  lantern,  and,  when  he  had  got  it,  went 
round  and  examined  each  man's  lashings  with  his  own 
eyes  and  hands,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  we  were  all 
secure  to  his  satisfaction.  Then  he  ordered  half-a- 
dozen  bales  of  cotton  goods  to  be  cut  open  and 
strewed  about  the  cabin ;  poured  oil,  turpentine,  and 
tar  over  them  ;  did  the  same  down  in  the  forecastle  ; 
and  then  capsized  a  cask  of  tar  and  a  can  of  turpentine 
over  the  most  inflammable  goods  he  could  put  his 
hand  upon  down  in  the  main  hatchAvay  ;  had  the 
bottoms  of  all  the  boats  knocked  out ;  took  away  all 
the  oars ;  and  then  set  fire  to  the  ship  forward,  aft, 
and  in  midships  ;  after  which  he  wished  us  all  a  warm 
journey  into  the  next  world,  and  went  deliberately 
down  the  side  into  his  boat.  The  brig  stood  by  us 
until  we  were  fairly  in  flames  fore  and  aft,  and 
then  filled  away  on  the  starboard  tack  under  all  the 
canvas  she  could  show  to  it,  leaving  us  there  to 
perish  miserably." 

"  And  how  did  you  manage  to  effect  your  escape 
after  all? "  I  inquired. 

"  Well,  sir,"  the  skipper  replied,  "  the   ship — as 


76  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

you  may  imagine,  with  a  cargo  such  as  we  had  on 
board — burned  like  a  torch.  In  less  than  five 
minutes  after  the  pirates  had  shoved  off  from  our 
side  the  flames  were  darting  up  through  companion, 
hatchway,  and  fore-scuttle,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  she  was  all  ablaze.  Luckily  for  us,  the  ship, 
left  to  herself,  had  paid  off  before  the  wind,  and  the 
flames  were  therefore  blown  for'ard ;  but  the  deck 
upon  which  we  were  lying  soon  became  so  hot  as  to 
be  quite  unbearable ;  we  were  literally  beginning  to 
roast  alive,  and  were  in  momentary  expectation  that 
the  deck  would  fall  in  and  drop  us  helplessl}^  into 
the  raging  furnace  below.  At  last,  driven  to  des- 
peration by  the  torture  of  mind  and  body  from 
which  I  was  suffering,  I  managed  to  roll  over  on 
my  other  side ;  and  there,  within  an  inch  of  my 
mouth,  was  a  man's  hands,  lashed,  like  my  own, 
firmly  behind  his  back,  and  his  ankles  drawn  close 
up  to  them.  The  idea  seized  me  to  try  and  gnaw 
through  his  lashings  and  so  free  him,  when,  of  course, 
he  would  soon  be  able  to  cast  us  adrift  in  return. 
I  shouted  to  him  what  I  intended  to  do,  and  then 
set  to  work  with  my  teeth  upon  his  bonds,  gnawing 
away  for  dear  life.  When  my  teeth  first  came  into 
contact  with  the  firm  hard  rope  I  thought  I  should 
never  be  able  to  do  it — at  least  not  in  time  to  save 
US — but  a  man  never  knows  what  he  can  do  until 
he  tries  in  earnest,  as  I  did  then ;  and  I  actually 
succeeded,  and  in  a  few  minutes  too,  in  eating  my 
way  through  one  turn  of  the  lashings.  The  man 
then  strained  and  tugged  until  he  managed  to  free 


THE        VESTALE."  ^^ 

himself,  after  Avhich  it  was  the  work  of  a  few 
minutes  only  to  liberate  the  rest  of  us.  We  then 
hastily  collected  together  such  materials  as  we  could 
first  lay  our  hands  on,  and  with  them  constructed 
the  raft  off  which  you  took  us.  It  was  a  terribly 
crazy  affair,  but  we  had  no  time  to  make  a  better 
one.  And  of  course,  as  the  ship  was  by  that  time  a 
mass  of  fire,  fore  and  aft,  it  was  impossible  for  us  to 
secure  an  atom  of  provisions  of  any  kind,  or  a  single 
drop  of  water." 

"  What  a  story  of  fiendish  cruelty !  "  I  ejaculated 
when  Richards  had  finished  his  story.  "  By  the  by," 
I  suddenly  added,  moved  by  an  impulse  which  I 
could  neither  analyze  nor  account  for,  "  of  what 
nationality  was  the  leader  of  the  pirates?  Do  you 
think  he  was  a  Frenchman  f  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  1  believe  he  loas^  although  he  addressed 
his  men  in  Spanish,"  answered  Eichards  in  some 
surprise.  "  Why  do  you  ask,  sir  ?  Have  you  ever 
fallen  in  with  such  a  man  as  I  have  described  him 
to  be?" 

"  Well,  ye — that  is,  not  to  my  knowledge,"  I  re- 
plied hesitatingly.  The  fact  is  that  Richards'  de- 
scription of  the  pirate  leader  had  somehow  brought 
vividly  before  m\^  mind's  eye  the  personality  of 
M.  Le  Breton,  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  French 
gun-brig  Vestale  /  and  it  was  this  which  doubtless 
prompted  me  to  put  the  absurd  question  to  my  com- 
panion as  to  the  nationality  of  the  man  w^ho  had  so 
inhumanly  treated  him.  Not,  it  must  be  under- 
stood, that  I  seriously,  for  a  single  instant,  associated 


78  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

M.  Le  Breton  or  the  Vestale  with  the  diabolical  act 
of  piracy  to  the  account  of  which  I  had  just  lis- 
tened. We  had  at  that  time  no  very  great  love  of 
or  respect  for  the  French,  it  is  true ;  but  even  the 
most  bigoted  of  Englishmen  would,  I  think,  have 
hesitated  to  hint  at  the  possibility  of  a  French  man- 
of-war  being  the  perpetrator  of  such  a  deed. 

The  mere  idea,  the  bare  suggestion  of  such  a  sus- 
picion, was  so  absurd  that  I  laughed  at  myself  for 
my  folly  in  allowing  it  to  obtrude  itself,  even  in  the 
most  intangible  form,  for  a  single  moment  on  my 
mind.  And  yet,  such  is  the  perversity  of  the  human 
intellect,  I  could  not,  in  spite  of  myself,  quite  get 
rid  of  the  extravagant  idea  that  M.  Le  Breton  was 
in  some  inexplicable  way  cognizant  of  the  outrage ; 
nor  could  I  forbear  sketching,  for  Richards'  benefit, 
as  accurate  a  word-portrait  as  I  could  of  the  French 
lieutenant ;  and — I  suppose  on  account  of  that  same 
perversity — I  felt  no  surprise  whatever  when  he 
assured  me  that  I  had  faithfully  described  to  him 
the  arch-pirate  who  had  left  him  and  his  crew  to 
perish  in  the  flames.  Indeed,  in  my  then  contra- 
dictory state  of  mind  I  should  have  been  disap- 
pointed had  he  said  otherwise.  The  man's  conduct 
— his  stealthy  but  searching  scrutiny  of  the  ship ; 
his  endeavor,  as  I  regarded  it,  to  mislead  us  with 
his  broken  English ;  and  his  excessive  curiosity,  as 
hinted  at  by  Captain  Yernon,  had  struck  me  as 
peculiar,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  visit  to  the  Daphne.  I  had  sus])ected  then  that 
he  was  not  altogether  and  exactly  what  lie  j)retended 


THE        VESTALE.  79 

to  be ;  and  noio  Richards'  identification  of  him  from 
my  description  seemed  to  confirm,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, my  instinctive  suspicions,  unreasonable,  extrav- 
agant, and  absurd  as  I  admitted  them  to  be.  My 
first  impulse — and  it  was  a  very  strong  one — was  to 
take  Mr.  iVustin  into  my  confidence,  to  unfold  to 
him  my  suspicions  and  the  circumstances  which  had 
given  rise  to  them,  frankly  admitting  at  the  same 
time  their  apparent  enormity,  and  then  to  put  the 
question  to  him  whether,  in  his  opinion,  there  was 
the  slightest  possibility  of  those  suspicions  being 
well-founded. 

So  strongly,  so  unaccountably  was  I  urged  to  do 
this,  that  I  had  actually  set  out  to  find  the  first 
lieutenant  when  reflection  and  common-sense  came 
to  my  aid  and  asked  me  what  was  this  thing  that 
I  was  about  to  do.  The  answer  to  this  question 
was,  that  with  the  self-sufficiency  and  stupendous 
conceit  which  my  father  had  especially  cautioned 
me  to  guard  against,  I  was  arrogating  to  myself  the 
possession  of  superhuman  sagacity,  and  (upon  the 
flimsy  foundation  of  a  wild  and  extravagant  fancy, 
backed  by  a  mere  chance  resemblance,  which  after 
all  might  prove  to  be  no  resemblance  at  all  if 
Richards  could  once  be  confronted  with  M.  Le 
Breton),  was  about  to  insinuate  a  charge  of  the 
most  atrocious  character  against  an  officer  holdino: 
a  responsible  and  honorable  position — a  man  who 
doubtless  was  the  soul  of  honor  and  rectitude.  A 
moment's  reflection  sufficed  to  convince  me  of  the 
utter  impossibility  of  the  same  man  being  in  com- 


8o  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

mand  of  a  pirate  brig  one  day,  and  an  oflBcer  of  a 
French  man-o'-war  the  next.  I  might  just  as  rea- 
sonably have  suspected  the  Vestale  herself  of  piracy  ; 
and  that,  I  well  knew,  would  be  carrying  my  suspi- 
cions to  the  uttermost  extremity  of  idiotic  absurdity. 
I  had,  in  short— so  I  finally  decided — discovered  a 
mare's  nest,  and  upon  the  strength  of  it  had  been 
upon  the  very  verge  of  proclaiming  myself  a  hope- 
less idiot  and  making  myself  the  per])etual  laughing- 
stock of  the  whole  ship.  I  congratulated  myself 
most  heartily  upon  having  paused  in  time,  and  re- 
solved very  determinedly  that  I  would  not  further 
dwell  upon  the  subject,  or  allow  myself  to  be  again 
lured  into  entertaining  such  superlatively  ridiculous 
notions. 

Yet  only  four  days  later  I  was  harassed  by  a 
temporary  recurrence  of  all  my  suspicions ;  and  it 
was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  I  combated  them. 
I  succeeded,  it  is  true,  in  so  far  maintaining  my  self- 
control  as  to  keep  a  silent  tongue ;  but  they  con- 
tinued persistently  to  haunt  me  until — but  steady  ! 
Whither  away,  Dick,  my  lad  ?  You  are  out  of  your 
course  altogether  and  luffing  into  the  wind's  eye, 
instead  of  working  steadily  to  windward,  tack  and 
tack,  and  taking  the  incidents  of  your  storj^  as  you 
come  to  them. 

The  incident  which  revived  my  very  singular  suspi- 
cions was  as  follows  : — 

Upon  learning  the  full  details  of  Eichards'  story. 
Captain  Yernon  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
brig  Avhich  destroyed  the  Juliet  was  a  vessel  devoted 


THE        VESTALE.  01 

to  the  combined  pursuits  of  piracy  and  slave-trading ; 
that  she  was,  in  all  probability,  one  of  the  three 
vessels  reported  by  the  Fawn  as  daily  expected  to 
arrive  on  the  coast  from  Cuba  ;  and  that  it  was  more 
than  likely  her  destination  was  the  Congo.  He 
therefore  determined  to  make  the  best  of  his  way 
back  to  that  river,  in  the  sanguine  hope  of  effecting 
her  capture ;  after  which  he  intended  to  run  down  to 
St.  Paul  de  Loande  to  land  the  crew  of  the  Juliet^ 
Richards  having  expressed  a  desire  to  be  taken  there 
if  possible. 

It  was  on  the  fourth  day  after  we  had  picked  up 
the  Juliefs  crew,  and  we  were  working  our  way 
back  toward  the  mouth  of  the  Congo,  making  short 
tacks  across  the  track  of  vessels  running  the  no- 
torious Middle  Passage,  when  the  lookout  aloft 
reported  a  sail  about  three  points  on  the  weather  bow 
running  down  towards  us  under  a  perfect  cloud  of 
canvas.  It  was  at  once  conjectured  that  this  might 
be  Richards'  late  free-and-easy  acquaintance  out- 
ward-bound with  a  cargo  of  slaves  on  board  ;  and  the 
Daphne  was  accordingly  kept  away  a  couple  of  points 
to  intercept  him,  the  hands  being  ordered  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  jump  aloft  and  make  sail 
on  the  instant  that  the  stranger  gave  the  slightest 
sign  of  an  intention  to  avoid  us.  At  the  same  time 
Mr.  Armitage,  our  third  lieutenant,  proceeded  aloft 
to  the  main  topmast-crosstrees  with  his  telescope  to 
maintain  a  vigilant  watch  upon  the  motions  of  the 
approaching  vessel. 

All  hands  were  of  course  in  an  instant  on  the  qui 


82  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

vive  the  momentary  expectation  being  that  the 
stranger  would  shorten  sail,  haul  upon  a  wind,  and 
endeavor  to  evade  us.  But  minute  after  minute 
passed  without  the  slightest  indication  of  any  such 
intention,  and  very  shortly  his  royals  rose  into  view 
above  the  horizon  from  the  deck  ;  then  followed  his 
topgallant-sails,  then  his  topsails,  his  courses  next, 
and  finally  the  hull  of  the  ship  appeared  upon  the 
horizon,  with  studding  sails  alow  and  aloft  on  both 
sides,  running  down  dead  before  the  wind,  and  evi- 
dently going  through  the  water  at  a  tremendous 
pace. 

Every  available  telescope  in  the  ship  was  now 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  craft,  and  presently  her 
fore-royal  and  fore-topgallant-sail  were  observed  to 
collapse,  the  yards  slid  down  the  mast,  and  the  sails 
were  clewed  up,  but  not  furled.  The  next  instant 
the  French  tricolor  fluttered  out  from  her  fore-royal- 
mast  head,  the  only  position  from  whence  it  could 
be  made  visible  to  us ;  and  simultaneously  with  its 
appearance  the  conviction  came  to  us  all  that  in  the 
approaching  vessel  we  were  about  to  recognize  our 
recent  acquaintance  the  Vestale.  Our  ensign,  which 
was  already  bent  on  to  the  peak-halyards,  was 
promptly  run  up  in  response,  whereupon  the  French 
ensign  disappeared,  to  be  instantly  replaced  by  a 
string  of  signals.  Our  signal-book  was  at  once  pro- 
duced, our  answering  pennant  run  half-mast  up,  and 
we  then  began  to  read  off  the  following  signal : 

"  Have  you  sighted  ? — " 

Our  pennant  was  then  mast-headed  to  show  that 


THE    "  VESTALE."  83 

we  understood  ;  the  flags  disappeared  on  board  tlie 
Frenchman,  and  another  batch  was  run  up,  which, 
being  interpreted,  meant : 

"  Brig—" 

This  also  was  acknowledged,  and  the  signaling- 
was  continued  until  the  whole  message  was  com- 
pleted, thus  : 

"  Same  tonnage  as — " 

"  Ourselves — " 

"  Hull—" 

"  Painted—" 

"  All  black—" 

"  Steering  w.  n,  w.  ?  " 

The  final  string  of  flags  then  disappeared,  and  the 
Vestales  answering  pennant  directly  afterwards 
showed  just  above  her  topgallant  yard,  indicating 
that  she  had  completed  her  signal  and  awaited  our 
reply. 

The  entire  signal  then,  freely  interpreted,  ran 
thus  : 

"  Have  you  sighted  a  brig  of  the  same  tonnage  (or 
size)  as  ourselves,  with  hull  painted  all  black,  steer- 
ing a  w.  N,  w.  course  ?  " 

We  answered  "  No ;  "  and,  in  our  turn,  inquired 
whether  the  Yestale  had  seen  or  heard  of  such  a 
craft. 

The  French  gun-brig  was  by  this  time  crossing 
our  bows,  distant  about  half  a  mile  ;  her  reply  was 
accordingly  made  from  her  gaff-end,  the  fore- top- 
gallant-sail and  royal  being  at  the  same  time  sheeted- 
home  and  mast-headed. 


84  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

It  was  to  the  following  effect  : 

"  Yes.  Brig  in  question  sailed  from  Congo  yester- 
day, six  hours  before  our  arrival,  with  three  hundred 
slaves  on  board." 

By  the  time  that  this  message  had  been  com- 
municated— by  the  slow  and  tedious  process  then  in 
vogue — the  two  vessels  were  too  far  apart  to  render 
any  further  conversation  possible,  and  in  little  more 
than  an  hour  after  the  final  hauling-down  of  the  last 
signal  the  YestaWs  main-roval  sank  beneath  the  verge 
of  the  western  horizon,  and  we  were  once  more  alone. 


IN    THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  85 


CHAPTER  YI. 

IN  THE  CONGO  ONCE  MOEE. 

I  HAVE  not  yet,  however,  stated  that  it  was  in 
connection  with  our  encounter  with  the  Vestale 
which  served  to  fan  my  fantastic  suspicions  into 
flame  anew,  and,  I  may  add  too  at  the  same  time, 
mold  them  into  a  more  definite  shape  than  they 
had  ever  before  taken. 

It  was  Richard's  peculiar  conduct  and  remarks. 

He  had  manifested  quite  an  extraordinary  amount 
of  interest  in  our  renco7itre  with  the  Vestale  from  the 
moment  of  her  being  first  reported  from  the  mast- 
head, evidently  sharing  the  hope  and  belief,  which 
we  all  at  first  entertained,  that  the  strange  sail  would 
turn  out  to  be  the  brig  Avhicli  had  served  him  so 
scurvy  a  trick  a  few  days  before. 

It  was  easy  to  understand  the  excitement  he  ex- 
hibited so  long  as  this  remained  a  matter  of  con- 
jecture, but  when  the  conjecture  proved  to  be  un- 
founded I  fully  expected  his  excitement,  if  not  his 
interest  would  wane.  It  did  not,  however.  He 
borrowed  my  telescope  as  soon  as  the  brig  became 
fully  visible  from  the  deck,  and,  placing  himself  at 
an  open  port,  kept  the  tube  of  the  instrument  leveled 


86  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

at  her  until  her  topsails  disappeared  below  the 
horizon  ao;ain.  I  remained  close  beside  him  diirini;: 
the  whole  time,  and  his  excitement  and  perplexity 
were  so  palpable  that  I  could  not  refrain  from 
questioning  him  as  to  the  cause. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Mr.  Hawkesley,"  he  replied.  "  You 
see  that  craft  there  ?  Well,  I  could  almost  stake  my 
soul  that  she  and  the  pirate-brig  were  built  on  the 
same  stocks.  The  two  craft  are  the  same  size  to  a 
ton,  I'll  swear  that ;  and  they  are  the  same  model 
and  the  same  rig  to  a  nicety.  It's  true  I  was  only 
able  to  closely  inspect  the  other  craft  at  night-time, 
but  it  was  by  brilliant  moonlight,  and  I  was  able  to 
note  every  detail  of  her  build,  rig,  and  equipment 
almost  as  plainly  as  I  now  can  that  of  the  brig  be^ 
fore  us ;  and  the  two  are  sister-ships.  They  carry 
the  same  number  of  guns — ay,  even  to  the  long-gun 
I  see  there  on  the  French  brig's  forecastle.  The 
masts  in  both  ships  have  the  same  rake,  the  yards 
the  same  spread,  and  the  running-gear  is  rove  and 
led  in  exactly  the  same  manner.  The  only  difference 
I  can  distinguish  between  the  two  ships  is  that 
yonder  brig  has  a  broad  white  ribbon  around  her, 
and  a  small  figure-head  painted  white,  whilst  the 
pirate-craft  was  painted  black  down  to  her  copper, 
and  she  carried  a  large  black  figure-head  represent- 
ing a  negress  with  a  gaudy  scarf  wrapped  about  her 
waist." 

"  Um !  "  I  remarked.  "  Lend  me  the  glass  a  mo- 
ment, will  you  ?     Thanks !  " 

The  Vestale  was,  at  the  moment,  just  about  to 


IN    THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  87 

cross  our  fore-foot,  and  was  therefore  about  as  near 
to  us  as  she  would  be  at  all.  I  focused  the  telescope 
— a  fine,  powerful  instrument — upon  her,  and  could 
clearly  see  the  weather-stains  and  the  yellowish-red 
marks  of  rust  in  the  wake  of  her  chain-plates  upon 
the  broad  white  ribbon  which  stretched  along  her 
side.  Evidently  that  band  of  white  paint  had  been 
exposed  to  sun  and  storm  for  many  a  long  day. 
Then  I  had  a  look  at  her  figure-head.  It  was  a  half- 
length  model  of  a  female  figure,  beautifully  carved, 
less  than  life-size,  with  one  arm  droo2)ing  gracefully 
downwards,  and  the  other — the  right — outstretched, 
with  a  gilded  lamp  in  the  right  hand.  That,  too, 
was  Aveather-stained,  and  the  gilding  tarnished  by 
long  exposure.  Those  pertinacious  half-formed  sus- 
picions, which  Richards'  words  had  stii'red  into  new 
life  were  refuted  ;  and  yet,  as  I  have  said,  I  could 
not  shake  them  off,  try  as  I  would,  and  argue  with 
myself  as  I  would,  that  they  were  utterly  ridiculous 
and  unreasonable. 

" Look  here,  Mr.  Richards,"  said  I ;  "if  3'ou  really 
are  as  positive  upon  this  matter  as  3^ou  say,  I  wish 
you  would  speak  to  Captain  Yernon  about  it ;  it 
might — and  no  doubt  would — help  us  very  materially 
in  effecting  the  capture  of  the  pirate-brig.  We  have 
seen  the  Yestale  twice,  and  have  had  so  good  an  op- 
portunity to  note  her  peculiarities  of  structure  and 
equipment  that  we  shall  now  know  her  again  as  far 
off  as  we  can  see  her.  If,  therefore,  we  should  ever 
happen  to  fall  in  with  a  brig  the  exact  counterpart 
of  the  Yestale  in  all  respects,  except  as  to  the  mat- 


88  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ters  of  her  figure-head  and  the  painting  of  her  hull, 
I  should  think  we  may  take  it  for  granted  that  that 
brig  will  undoubtedly  be  the  pirate  which  destroyed 
the  Juliet.  And  you  may  depend  upon  it,  my  good 
sir,  that  it  is  that  identical  craft  that  the  Vestale  is 
now  seeking." 

"  Ye — es,  very  likely — quite  possible,"  he  replied 
hesitating!}^,  and  evidently  still  laboring  under  the 
feeling  of  perplexity  I  had  noticed.  Then,  straight- 
ening himself  up  and  passing  his  hand  across  his 
forehead,  as  though  to  clear  away  the  mental  cob- 
webs there,  he  added :  "  I'll  go  and  speak  to  Captain 
Yernon  about  it  at  once." 

And  away  he  accordingly  walked  to  carry  out  his 
resolve. 

"We  stood  on  as  we  were  going  until  eight  bells 
in  the  afternoon  watch  that  day,  when  the  ship  was 
hove  round  on  the  larboard  tack  and  a  course  shaped 
for  St.  Paul  de  Loando  ;  our  skipper  having  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  brig  referred  to  in  the  Ves- 
taWs  signal  was  undoubtedly  the  craft  which  we 
had  been  on  our  Avay  back  to  the  Congo  to  look  for, 
and  that  as,  according  to  the  gun-brig's  statement, 
she  was  no  longer  there,  we  were  now  free  to  pro- 
ceed direct  to  St.  Paul  to  land  the  burnt-out  crew 
as  soon  as  possible. 

We  entered  the  bay — upon  the  shore  of  which 
the  town  is  built — about  10  a,  m.  on  the  second  day 
after  our  last  meeting  with  the  Vestale,  and,  anchor- 
ing in  ten  fathoms,  lowered  a  boat,  in  which  Mr. 
Richards  and  his  crew  were  landed,  Captain  Yernon 


IN   THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  89 

going  on  shore  with  them.  The  skipper  remained 
on  shore  until  4  p.  m.  and  when  he  came  off  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  he  was  deeply  preoccupied.  The 
boat  was  at  once  hoisted  in,  the  messenger  passed, 
the  anchor  hove  up,  and  awaj^"  Ave  w^ent  again,  crowd- 
ing sail  for  the  Congo.  As  soon  as  the  ship  was 
clear  of  the  Loando  reef  and  fairly  at  sea  once  more, 
Captain  Vernon  summoned  the  first  and  second  lieu- 
tenants to  his  cabin,  wdiere  the  three  remained 
closeted  with  him  for  some  time,  indeed  the  two 
officers  dined  with  him  ;  but,  whatever  the  matter 
might  be,  neither  Mr.  Austin  nor  Mr.  Smellie  let 
fall  a  word  as  to  its  nature,  though  it  was  evident 
from  their  manner  that  it  was  deemed  of  consider- 
able import. 

When  I  turned  in  that  night  I  felt  very  greatly 
dissatisfied  with  myself.  Those  outrageous  suspi- 
cions, upon  which  I  have  dwelt  so  much  in  the  last 
few  pages,  seemed  to  be  gathering  new  strength 
every  day  in  spite  of  my  utmost  endeavors  to  dissi- 
pate them,  and  that  too,  without  the  occurrence  of 
anything  fresh  to  confirm  them.  I  accordingly  took 
myself  severely  to  task ;  subjected  myself  to  a  rigid 
self-examination,  looking  the  matter  square  in  the 
face ;  and  the  conclusions  to  which  I  came  w^ere — 
first,  that  I  had  allowed  myself  to  be  deluded  into 
the  belief  that  the  Vestale  herself  was  the  craft  which 
had  committed  the  act  of  piracy  of  which  poor 
Richards  and  his  crew  were  the  victims  ;  and  second, 
that  I  had  been  an  unmitigated  idiot  for  suffering 
myself  to  be  so  deluded.     On  going  thoroughly  over 


90  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  whole  question  I  was  forced  to  admit  to  myself 
that  there  was  not  a  particle  of  evidence  incriminat- 
ing the  French  gunbrig  save  what  I  had  manufac- 
tured out  of  my  own  too  vivid  imagination ;  and  I 
clearly  foresaw  that  unless  I  could  get  rid  of,  or,  at 
all  events,  conquer,  this  hallucination,  I  should  be 
doing  or  saying  something  which  would  get  me  into 
a  serious  scrape.  And,  having  at  last  thus  settled 
the  question — as  I  thought— to  my  own  satisfaction, 
I  rolled  over  in  my  hammock  and  went  to  sleep. 

The  breeze  held  fresh  during  the  whole  of  that 
night ;  and  the  Daphne  made  such  good  progress 
that  by  eight  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  we 
found  ourselves  once  more  abreast  of  Padron  Point 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Congo.  Sail  was  now  short- 
ened ;  the  ship  hove-to,  and  the  men  sent  to  their 
breakfasts ;  the  officers  also  being  requested  to  get 
theirs  at  the  same  time. 

At  8.30  the  hands  were  turned  up,  the  main  top- 
sail filled,  and,  under  topsails,  jib,  and  spanker,  and 
with  a  leadsman  in  the  fore-chains  on  each  side,  the 
sloop  proceeded  boldly  to  enter  the  river,  under  the 
pilotage  of  the  master,  who  stationed  himself  for 
the  purpose  on  the  fore-topsail  yard.  This  was  a 
most  unusual,  almost  an  unheard-of,  proceeding  at 
that  time,  the  river  never  having  been,  up  to  that 
period,  properly  surveyed ;  so  we  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  there  was  something  to  the  fore  a  trifle 
out  of  the  common  ;  a  conclusion  which  was  very 
fully  verified  a  little  later  on. 

It  was  just  low  water  as  we  came  abreast  of  Shark 


IN    THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  Ql 

Point — which  we  passed  at  a  distance  of  about  a  mile 
— but  we  found  plenty  of  water  everywhere  ;  and, 
stretching  across  the  river's  mouth,  the  Da^jline  finally 
entered  Banana  Creek,  and  anchored  in  six  fathoms 
close  to  a  smart-looking  little  bark  of  unquestionable 
American  nationality.  The  sails  were  furled,  the 
yards  squared,  ropes  coiled  down,  and  decks  cleared 
up  ;  and  then  the  first  cutter  was  piped  away,  Mr. 
Smellie  at  the  same  time  receiving  a  summons  to  the 
skipper's  cabin. 

The  conference  between  the  captain  and  the  second 
lieutenant  was  but  a  short  one  ;  and  when  the  latter 
again  appeared  on  deck  he  beckoned  me  to  him  and 
instructed  me  to  don  my  dirk,  as  I  was  to  accompany 
him  on  a  visit  to  the  bark.  Just  as  we  were  about 
to  go  down  over  the  side  Captain  Vernon  appeared 
on  deck,  and,  addressing  the  second  "  luff,"  said  : 

"  "Whatever  you  do,  Mr.  Smellie,  keep  my  caution 
in  mind,  and  do  not  provoke  the  man.  Remember, 
that  if  he  is  an  American — of  which  I  have  very 
little  doubt — we  cannot  touch  him,  even  if  he  has 
his  hold  full  of  slaves  ;  so  be  as  civil  to  him  as  you 
can,  please  ;  and  get  all  the  information  you  can  out 
of  him." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  ;  I'll  do  my  best  to  stroke  his  fur  the 
right  way,  never  fear,"  answered  Smellie  laughingly  ; 
and  away  he  went. 

A  couple  of  minutes  later  we  shot  alongside  the 
bark ;  and  Smellie  and  I  clambered  up  her  side-lad- 
der to  the  deck,  where  we  were  received  b}''  a  lanky, 
cadaverous-looking  individual  arrayed  in  a  by  no 


92  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

means  spotless  suit  of  white  nankin  topped  by  a  very 
dilapidated  broad-brimmed  Panama  straw-hat. 

"Mornin',  gentlemen,"  observed  this  individual, 
in  response  to  our  salutation  ;  "  powerful  hot ;  ain't 
it?" 

"Yery,"  returned  Smellie  in  his  most  amicable 
manner,  "  but " — pointing  to  the  awning  spread  fore 
and  aft,  "  I  see  you  know  how  to  make  yourselves 
comfortable.  Your  ship,  I  observe,  is  called  the 
Pensacola  of  New  Orleans.  I  have  come  on  board 
to  go  through  the  formality  of  looking  at  your 
papers.     You  have  no  objection,  I  presume  ?  " 

"  Nary  objection,  stranger.  Look  at  'm  and  wel- 
come," was  the  reply.  "  I  guess  I'll  have  to  trouble 
you  to  come  below,  though." 

With  this  he  led  the  way  down  the  companion- 
ladder,  and  we  followed  ;  eventually  bringing  up  on 
the  comfortably-cushioned  lockers  of  a  fine,  spacious, 
airy  cabin  very  nicely  fitted  up. 

Seating  himself  opposite  us,  the  skipper  struck  a 
hand-bell  which  stood  on  the  cabin  table,  in  response 
to  which  summons  a  black  steward,  clad,  like  his 
master,  in  dingy  white,  made  his  appearance  from 
the  neighboring  pantry.  Our  host  thereupon  formed 
his  right  hand  into  the  shape  of  a  cup  and  raised  it 
to  his  mouth,  at  the  same  time  exhibiting  three  fin- 
gers of  his  left  hand ;  and  the  steward,  nodding  and 
grinning  his  comprehension  of  the  mute  order,  with- 
drew, to  reappear  next  moment  with  a  case-bottle  of 
rum,  three  glasses,  and  a  water  monkey,  or  porous 


IN    THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  93 

earthen  jar,  full  of  what  proved,  on  our  pouring  it 
out,  to  be  a  very  doubtful-looking  liquid. 

"  Help  yourselves,  gentlemen,"  said  our  host,  push- 
ing the  rum-bottle  and  water-monkey  toward  us. 
"  I  ain't  got  no  wine  aboard  to  offer  you,  but  the 
liquor  is  real  old  Jamaica,  and  the  water  is  genuine 
Mississippi ;  they  make  a  first  grade  mixture.  But 
perhaps  you  prefer  to  take  your  liquor  '  straight' ;  / 
always  do." 

And  he  forthwith  practically  illustrated  the  proc- 
ess of  taking  liquor  "  straight "  by  half -filling  his 
tumbler  with  neat  rum,  which  he  swallowed  at  a 
single  gulp.  He  then  rose  and  retired  to  his  state- 
room in  search  of  his  papers,  leaving  us  to  sip  our 
fire-water  grog  meanwhile. 

The  papers  were  produced,  examined,  and  found 
to  be  perfectly  correct ;  after  which  Smellie  set  him- 
self to  the  task  of  "  pumping  "  our  new  acquaint- 
ance, without  much  result,  though  we  certainly 
managed  to  obtain  one  bit  of  valuable  information 
from  him. 

"  Whether  there's  slavers  or  no  in  this  rivulet,  I'll 
just  leave  you  to  find  out,  stranger,"  he  remarked, 
in  answer  to  a  question  of  Smellie's  ;  "  I'm  here  about 
my  own  business,  and  you're  about  yourn ;  you 
can't  interfere  with  me  ;  and  I  won't  interfere  with 
you.  But  I  don't  mind  tellin'  you  that  if  you'd  been 
here  five  days  ago  you'd  have  had  a  chance  of  nab- 
bin'  the  Black  Venus,  the  smartest  slaver,  I  guess^ 
that's  ever  visited  this  section  of  our  sublunary 
sphere." 


94  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Indeed ! "  exclaimed  Smellie  eagerly.  "  "What 
sort  of  a  craft  is  she  ?     What  is  she  like  ?  " 

"  She  is  a  brig " — I  pricked  up  my  ears  at  this, 
and  so,  too,  I  could  see,  did  Smellie — "  of  about 
three  hundred  tons  register ;  long,  and  low  in  the 
water ;  mounts  fourteen  guns,  seven  of  a  side,  and 
a  long  32-pounder  on  her  forecastle.  Has  very 
tall  sticks,  with  a  rake  aft ;  and  a  tremendous  spread 
of  '  caliker.'  And  she's  the  fastest  craft  in  all  crea- 
tion. Your  ship  looks  as  if  she  could  travel ;  but 
I  'low  she  ain't  a  carcumstance  to  the  Black 
Yenus.'''' 

"  How  is  she  painted  ?  "  asked  Smellie.  "  Is  she 
all  black,  or  does  she  sometimes  sport  a  white  rib- 
bon ? " 

"  Aha  !  "  thought  I ;  "  that  looks  as  though  my 
suspicions  are  at  last  shared  by  somebody  else. 
Kichards'  communication  to  the  skipper  has  surely 
borne  fruit." 

"  Wall,"  replied  the  Yankee  with  a  knowing 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  '■'■when  she  sailed  frmn  here  she 
was  black  right  down  to  her  copper.  But  that  ain't 
much  to  go  by ;  I  guess  her  skipper  knows  a  trick 
or  two." 

"  You  think,  then,  he  might  alter  her  appearance 
as  soon  as  he  got  outside  ? "  insinuated  Smellie. 

"  He  might — and  he  mightn't,"  was  the  cautious 
reply. 

"  Um  ! "  observed  Smellie.  Then,  as  if  inspired 
with  a  sudden  suspicion,  he  asked  : 

"  Have  you  seen  any  men-o'-war  in  here  lately  ?  " 


IN    THE    CONGO    ONCE    MORE.  95 

I  could  see  by  the  knowing  look  in  our  Yankee 
friend's  eyes  that  he  read  poor  Smellie  like  a  book. 

""Wall,"  he  replied,  "come  to  speak  of  it,  there 
was  a  brig  in  here  a  few  days  ago  that  looked  like  a 
man-o'-war.  She  was  flying  French  colors — when 
she  flew  any  at  all — and  called  herself  the  YestaUy 

"  Ah !  "  ejaculated  Smellie.  "  Did  any  of  her 
people  board  you  ?  " 

"  You  bet !  "  was  the  somewhat  ambiguous  answer. 
Not  that  the  reply  was  at  all  ambiguous  in  itself ;  it 
was  the  peculiar  emphasis  with  which  the  words 
were  spoken,  and  the  peculiar  expression  of  the 
man's  countenance  as  he  uttered  them,  which  con- 
stituted the  ambiguity ;  the  words  simply  implied 
that  the  Pensacola  had  been  boarded  ;  the  look 
spoke  volumes,  but  the  volumes  were  written  in  an 
unknown  tongue,  so  far  as  we  at  least  were  con- 
cerned. 

"  What  is  the  Yestale  like  ?  "  was  Smellie's  next 
question. 

"  Just  as  like  the  Black  Yemis  as  two  peas  in  a 
pod,"  was  the  reply,  given  with  evident  quiet  amuse- 
ment. 

"  And  how  was  she  painted  % "  persisted  Smellie. 

"  Ah,  there  now,  stranger,  you've  puzzled  me !  " 
was  the  unexpected  answer. 

"  "Why  ?  Did  you  not  say  you  saw  her  ?  "  queried 
Smellie  sharply. 

"  Ko,  I  guess  not ;  I  didn't  say  anything  of  the 
sort.  I  was  ashore  when  her  people  boarded  me. 
It  was  my  mate  that  told  me  about  it." 


96  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Your  mate  ?  Can  we  see  him  ? "  exclaimed 
Smellie  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  I  reckon,"  was  the  reply.  "  He's  ashore 
now,  but  you've  only  to  pull  about  five  miles  up 
the  creek,  and  I  calculate  you'll  find  him  some- 
wheres." 

"  Thanks ! "  answered  Smellie.  "  I'm  afraid  we 
can't  spare  the  time  for  that.  Can  you  tell  me  which 
of  the  two  brigs — the  Vestale  or  the  Black  Venus — 
sailed  first  from  the  river  ?  " 

"  Wall,  stranger,  I'd  like  to  help  you  all  I  could, 
I  really  would ;  but,"  with  his  hand  wandering 
thoughtfully  over  his  forehead,  "  I  really  ccmH  for 
the  life  of  me  remember  just  now  which  of  'em  it 
was." 

The  fellow  was  lying  ;  I  could  see  it,  and  so  could 
Smellie ;  but  we  could  not,  of  course,  tell  him  so  ; 
and  we  accordingly  thanked  him  for  his  information 
and  rose  to  go,  with  an  uncomfortable  feeling  that 
we  had  received  certain  information,  part  of  which 
was  probably  true  whilst  part  was  undoubtedly  false, 
and  that  we  were  wholly  without  the  means  of 
distinguishing  the  one  from  the  other. 

We  returned  to  the  Daphne  with  our  information, 
such  as  it  was ;  and  Smellie  at  once  made  his  report 
to  the  skipper.  A  consultation  followed  in  which 
the  first  lieutenant  took  part,  and  at  the  end  of  half 
an  hour  the  three  officers  reappeared  on  deck,  and 
the  captain's  gig  was  piped  away. 

Being  suspicious,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  that 
something  unusual  was  brewing,  I  remained  on  deck 


IN  THE  CONGO  ONCE  MORE.       97 

during  the  progress  of  this  conference,  so  as  to  be  at 
hand  in  the  event  of  my  services  being  required ; 
and  the  Pensacola  happening  to  be  the  most  promi- 
nent object  in  the  landscape,  she  naturally  came  in 
for  a  large  share  of  my  attention  during  the  progress 
of  the  discussion  above  referred  to.  She  was  flying 
no  colors  when  we  anchored  in  such  close  proximity 
to  her,  a  circumstance  which  I  attributed  to  the  fact 
that  she  was,  to  all  appearance,  the  only  vessel  in 
the  river,  and  I  Avas,  therefore,  not  much  surprised 
when,  a  short  time  after  our  visit  to  her,  I  observed 
her  skipper  go  aft  and  run  up  the  American  ensign 
to  his  gaff-end.  But  I  'was  a  little  surprised  when  he 
followed  this  up  by  hoistiug  a  small  red  swallow- 
tailed  flag  to  his  main  royal-mast  head.  I  asked 
myself  what  could  be  the  meaning  of  this  move  on 
his  part,  and  it  did  not  take  me  very  long  to  arrive 
at  the  conclusion  that  it  was  undoubtedly  meant  as 
a  signal  of  some  sort  to  somebody  or  other.  He  was 
scarcely  likely  to  do  such  a  thing  for  the  gratifica- 
tion of  a  mere  whim.  And  if  it  was  a  signal,  what 
did  it  mean  ?  and  to  whom  was  it  made  ?  There  was 
of  course  the  possibility  that  it  was  a  pre-arranged 
signal  to  his  absent  mate ;  but,  taken  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  fact  that  it  was  exhibited  almost 
immediately  after  our  visit  to  his  ship,  coupled  with 
the  other  fact  of  his  obvious  attempt  to  keep  us  in 
the  dark  with  respect  to  certain  matters,  I  was 
greatly  disposed  to  regard  it  rather  as  a  warning 
signal  to  a  vessel  or  vessels  concealed  in  one  or  other 
of  the  numerous  creeks  which  we  knew  to  exist  in 
7 


98  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

our  immediate  vicinity.  Accordingly,  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  second  lieutenant  on  deck,  I  stepped  up 
to  him  and  directed  his  attention  to  the  suspicious 
looking  red  flag,  and  mentioned  my  surmises  as  to 
its  meaning. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  said  he.  "  I  have  no 
doubt  it  is  a  signal  of  some  kind  ;  but  what  it  means 
we  have  no  possible  method  of  ascertaining,  and 
moreover,  it  suits  our  purpose  just  now  to  take  no 
notice  of  it.  By  the  way,  are  you  anything  of  a 
shot  ?  " 

"  Pretty  fair,"  I  replied.  "  I  can  generally  bring 
down  a  bird  upon  the  wing  if  it  is  not  a  very  long 
shot." 

"  Then  put  your  pistols  in  your  belt,  provide  your- 
self with  a  fowling-piece  (I  will  lend  you  one),  and 
be  in  readiness  to  go  with  us  in  the  gig.  We  are 
bound  upon  a  sporting  expedition." 

I  needed  no  second  invitation,  but  hurried  away 
at  once  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  ;  albeit 
there  was  a  something  in  Mr.  Smellie's  manner 
which  led  me  to  think  that  sport  was  perhaps  after 
all  a  mere  pretext,  and  that  the  actual  object  of  our 
cruise  was  something  much  more  serious. 

A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  complete  my  prepara- 
tions, and  when  I  again  stepped  on  deck,  gun  in 
hand.  Captain  Vernon  and  Mr.  Smellie  were  stand- 
ing near  the  gangway  rather  ostentatiously  engaged 
— in  full  view  of  the  American  skipper — in  examin- 
ing their  gun-locks,  snapping  off  caps,  and  so  on ; 
whilst  the  steward  was  in  the  act  of  passing  down 


IN    THE    CONGO   ONCE    MORE.  99 

over  the  side — with  strict  injunctions  to  those  in  the 
boat  to  be  careful  in  the  handling  of  it — a  capacious 
basket  of  provisions  with  a  snow-white  cloth  pro- 
truding out  over  its  sides.  The  precious  basket  be- 
ing at  length  safely  deposited  in  the  gig's  stern- 
sheets,  I  followed  it  down  the  side ;  the  second 
lieutenant  came  next,  and  the  skipper  bringing  up 
the  rear,  we  hoisted  our  lug-sail,  the  sea-breeze 
blowing  strongly  up  the  river,  and  shoved  off  ;  our 
motions  being  intently  scrutinized  by  the  Yankee 
skipper  as  long  as  we  could  make  him  out. 

We  had  scarcely  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before 
a  noble  crane  came  sailing  across  our  course  with 
his  head  tucked  in  between  his  shoulders,  his  long 
stilt-like  leg  projecting  astern  of  him,  and  his  slowly- 
flapping  wings  almost  touching  the  water  at  every 
stroke. 

"  There's  a  chance  for  you,  Hawkesley,"  ex- 
claimed our  genial  second  luff ;  "  let's  drive  at  him. 
All  is  fish  that  comes  to  our  net  so  long  as  we  are 
within  range  of  the  Yankee's  telescope ;  fire  at 
everything  you  see." 

I  raised  my  gun,  pulled  the  trigger,  and  down 
dropped  the  crane  into  the  water  with  a  broken 
wing. 

"  Yery  neatly  done,"  exclaimed  the  skipper  approv- 
ingly. "  Pick  up  the  bird,  Thomson  " — to  the  cox- 
swain. 

The  unfortunate  bird  was  duly  picked  up  and 
hauled  into  the  boat,  though  not  without  inflicting 
a  rather  severe  wound  with  its  long,  sharp  beak  on 


100  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  hand  of  the  man  who  grasped  it ;  and  we  con- 
tinued our  course. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  we  hauled 
sharp  round  the  projecting  point,  and  shaped  a 
course  up  and  across  toward  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream,  steering  for  a  low,  densely- wooded  spit 
which  jutted  out  into  the  river  some  eight  miles 
distant.  The  tide,  which  was  rising,  was  in  our 
favor,  and  in  an  hour  from  the  time  of  emerging 
from  the  creek  into  the  main  stream,  we  had  reached 
our  destination ;  the  boat  shot  into  a  water-way 
about  a  cable's  length  in  width,  the  sail  was  lowered, 
the  mast  unstepped,  and  the  men,  taking  to  their 
oars,  proceeded  to  paddle  the  boat  gently  up  the 
creek. 

We  proceeded  up  this  creek  a  distance  of  about 
two  miles,  when,  coming  suddenly  upon  a  small 
branch,  or  tributary,  well  suited  as  a  place  of  con- 
cealment for  the  boat,  she  was  headed  into  it,  and 
— after  proceeding  along  the  narrow  canal  for  a 
distance  of  perhaps  one  hundred  yards — hauled 
alongside  the  bank  and  secured. 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        lOI 


CHAPTER  YII. 

MK.  SMELLIE  MAKES  A  LITTLE    SUKVEY. 

Giving  the  gig's  crew  strict  injunctions  not  to  leave 
their  boat  for  a  moment  upon  any  consideration, 
but  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  shove  off  on 
the  instant  of  our  rejoining  them — should  a  precipi- 
tate retreat  prove  necessary — Captain  Yernon  and 
Mr.  Smellie  stepped  ashore  with  a  request  that  I 
would  accompany  them. 

The  channel  or  canal  in  which  the  gig  was  now 
lying  was  about  fifty  feet  wide,  with  a  depth  of 
water  of  about  eight  feet  at  the  point  to  which  we 
had  reached.  Its  banks  were  composed  of  soft, 
black,  fetid  mud  in  a  semi-liquid  state,  so  that  in 
order  to  land  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  make  our 
way  as  best  we  could  for  a  distance  of  some  two 
hundred  feet  over  the  roots  of  the  mangrove  trees 
which  thickly  bordered  the  stream,  before  we  were 
enabled  to  place  our  feet  on  solid  ground. 

Beyond  the  belt  of  mangroves  the  soil  was  densely 
covered  with  that  heterogeneous  jumble  of  parasitic 
creepers  of  all  descriptions  spoken  of  in  Africa  by 
the  generic  denomination  of  "  bush,"  thickly  inter- 
spersed with  trees,  many  of  which  were  of  large 


102  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

size.  Path,  there  was  none,  not  even  the  faintest 
traces  of  a  footprint  in  the  dry,  sandj^  soil  to  show 
that  humanity  had  ever  passed  over  the  ground  be- 
fore us.  It  may  be  that  ours  were  the  first  human 
footsteps  which  had  ever  pressed  the  soil  in  that 
particular  spot ;  at  all  events  it  looked  very  much 
like  it,  and  we  had  not  traveled  one  hundred  feet 
before  we  became  fully  impressed  with  the  neces- 
sity for  carefully  marking  our  route  if  we  had  the 
slightest  desire  to  find  our  way  back  again.  This 
task  was  intrusted  to  me,  and  I  accomplished  it  by 
cutting  a  twig  half  through,  and  then  bending  it 
downwards  until  a  long,  light  strip  of  the  inner  wood 
was  exposed.  This  I  did  at  distances  of  about  a  yard 
apart  all  along  our  route,  whilst  the  skipper  and 
Smellie  went  ahead  and  forced  a  passage  for  the 
party  through  the  thick  undergrowth. 

The  general  direction  of  our  route  was  about 
s.  s.  w.,  as  nearly  as  the  skipper  could  hit  it  off  with 
the  aid  of  a  pocket  compass,  and  it  took  us  more  than 
two  hours  to  accomplish  a  journey  of  as  many 
miles  through  the  thick  tangled  undergrowth.  This 
brought  us  out  close  to  the  water's  edge  again,  and 
we  saw  before  us  a  canal  about  a  cable's  length 
across,  which  the  skipper  said  he  was  certain  was  a 
continuation  of  the  one  we  had  entered  in  the  gig. 
About  a  mile  distant,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
canal,  could  be  seen  the  tops  of  the  hills  which  we 
had  noticed  on  the  occasion  of  our  first  exploration 
of  the  river. 

Here,  as  at  the  point  of  our  landing,  the  banks  of 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.         103 

the  canal  consisted  of  black  slimy  fetid  mud,  out  of 
which  grew  a  belt  of  mangroves,  their  curious  twisted 
roots  straggling  in  a  thick  complicated  mass  of  net- 
work over  the  slime  beneath.  The  sun  was  shininir 
brilliantly  down  through  the  richly  variegated  foli- 
age on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  stream,  and  light- 
ing up  the  surface  of  the  thick  turbid  water  as  it 
rolled  sluggishly  past ;  but  where  we  stood — just  on 
the  inner  edge  of  the  mangrove  swamp — everything 
was  enshrouded  in  a  somber  green  twilight,  and  an 
absolute  silence  prevailed  all  round  us,  which  was 
positively  oppressive  in  its  intensity. 

Breathless,  perspiring,  and  exhausted  with  our 
unwonted  exertions,  we  flung  ourselves  upon  the 
ground  for  a  moment's  rest,  during  which  the  skipper 
and  Smellie  sought  solace  and  refreshment  in  a  cigar. 
As  for  me,  not  having  at  that  time  contracted  the 
habit  of  smoking,  I  was  contented  to  sit  still  and 
gaze  with  admiring  eyes  upon  the  weird  beauty  of 
my  surroundings. 

For  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  my  companions 
gave  themselves  up  to  the  silent  enjoyment  of  their 
cigars,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  skipper,  turn- 
ing to  Smellie,  said  : 

"  I  think  this  must  be  the  creek  to  which  we  have 
been  directed  ;  but  there  are  so  many  of  these  in- 
lets, creeks,  and  canals  on  this  side  of  the  river — 
and  on  the  other  side  also  for  that  matter — that  one 
cannot  be  at  all  certain  about  it.  I  would  have  ex- 
plored the  place  thoroughly  in  the  gig,  and  so  have 
saved  the  labor  of  all  this  scrambling  through  the 


104  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

bush,  but  for  the  fact  that  if  we  are  right,  and  any 
slave  craft  happen  to  be  lurking  here — as  our  Yankee 
friend's  suspicious  conduct  leads  me  to  believe  may 
be  the  case — there  would  be  a  great  risk  of  our 
stumbling  upon  them  unawares,  and  so  giving 
them  the  alarm.  And  even  if  we  escaped  that  mis- 
chance 1  have  no  doubt  but  that  they  keep  sentinels 
posted  here  and  there  on  the  lookout,  and  we  could 
hardly  hope  that  the  boat  would  escape  being  sighted 
by  one  or  other  of  them.  If  there  are  any  craft 
hereabout,  we  may  rest  assured  that  they  are  fully 
aware  of  the  presence  of  the  Daphne  in  the  river ; 
but  I  am  in  hopes  that  our  ruse  of  openly  starting 
as  upon  a  sporting  expedition  has  thrown  dust  in 
their  eyes  for  once,  and  that  we  may  be  able  to  steal 
near  enough  to  get  a  sight  of  them  without  exciting 
their  suspicions." 

"  It  would  be  worth  all  our  trouble  if  we  could  do 
so,"  responded  Smellie.  "  But  I  don't  half  like  this 
blind  groping  about  in  the  bush  ;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  tremendously  hard  work  which  it  involves  there 
is  a  very  good  chance,  it  seems  to  me,  of  our  losing 
ourselves  when  we  attempt  to  make  our  way  back. 
And  then,  again,  we  are  quite  uncertain  how  much 
further  we  may  have  to  go  in  order  to  complete  our 
search  satisfactorily.  Do  you  not  think  it  would  be 
a  good  plan  for  one  of  us  to  shin  up  a  tree  and  take 
a  look  round  before  we  go  any  further  ?  There  are 
some  fine  tall  trees  here  close  at  hand,  from  the 
higher  branches  of  which  one  ought  to  be  able  to 
get  a  pretty  extensive  view." 


Mr.  Hawkesley  tries  tree  cliaibing.— Page  105. 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        I05 

"  A  very  capital  idea !  "  assented  the  skipper. 
"  We  will  act  upon  it  at  once.  There  now,"  point- 
ing to  a  perfect  forest  giant  only  a  few  yards  dis- 
tant, "  is  a  tree  admirably  suited  to  our  purpose. 
Come,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  you  are  the  youngest,  and 
ought  therefore  to  be  the  most  active  of  the  trio  ; 
give  us  a  specimen  of  your  tree-climbing  powers. 
Just  shin  up  aloft  as  high  as  you  can  go,  take  a  good 
look  round,  and  let  us  know  if  you  can  see  anything 
worth  looking  at." 

"  Ay  ay,  sir,"  I  responded  ;  "  but — "  with  a  some- 
what blank  look  at  the  tall,  straight,  smooth  stem 
to  which  he  pointed,  "  where  are  the  ratlines  ?  " 

"  Ratlines,  you  impudent  young  monkey !  "  re- 
sponded the  skipper  with  a  laugh  ;  "  why,  an  active 
young  fellow  like  you  ought  to  make  nothing  of 
going  up  a  spar  like  that." 

But  when  we  reached  the  tree  it  became  evident 
that  the  task  of  climbing  it  was  not  likely  to  prove 
so  easy  as  the  skipper  had  imagined ;  for  the  bole 
was  fully  fifteen  feet  in  circumference,  with  not  a 
branch  or  protuberance  of  any  description  for  the 
first  sixty  feet. 

The  second  lieutenant,  however,  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  soon  showed  me  how  the  thing  might 
be  done.  Whipping  out  his  knife,  he  quickly  cut  a 
long  length  of  "  monkey-rope  "  or  creeper,  and  twist- 
ing the  tough  pliant  stem  into  a  grummet  round  the 
trunk  of  the  tree,  he  bade  me  pass  the  bight  over 
my  shoulders,  and  then  showed  me  how,  with  its  aid, 
I  might  work  myself  gradually  upward. 


I06  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

Accordingly,  acting  under  his  directions  I  placed 
myself  within  the  bight,  and  tucking  it  well  up  un- 
der my  arm-pits,  slid  the  grummet  up  the  trunk  as 
high  as  it  would  go.  Then  bearing  back  upon  it,  so 
that  it  supported  my  whole  weight,  I  worked  my 
body  upwards  by  pressing  against  the  tree-trunk 
with  my  knees.  By  this  means  I  rose  about  two 
feet  from  the  ground.  Then  pressing  against  the 
tree  firmly  with  my  feet  I  gave  the  grummet  a  quick 
jerk  upward  and  again  worked  myself  up  the  trunk 
with  my  knees  as  before.  In  this  way  I  got  along 
very  well,  and  after  an  awkward  slip  or  two,  in  which 
my  knees  suffered  somewhat  and  my  breeches  still 
more,  soon  acquired  the  knack  of  the  thing,  and 
speedily  reached  the  lowermost  branch,  after  which 
the  rest  of  my  ascent  was  of  course  easy. 

On  reaching  the  topmost  branches  I  found  that 
the  tree  I  had  climbed  was  indeed,  as  the  skipper 
had  aptly  described  it,  a  forest  giant ;  it  was  by  far 
the  most  lofty  tree  in  the  neighborhood,  and  from  my 
commanding  position  I  had  a  fine  uninterrupted  pros- 
pect of  many  miles  extent  all  round  me,  except 
to  the  southward,  where  the  chain  of  hills  before- 
mentioned  shut  in  the  view. 

Away  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  in  which 
direction  I  happened  to  be  facing  when  I  at  length 
paused  to  look  around  me,  I  could  catch  glimpses  of 
the  river,  over  and  between  the  intervening  tree-tops, 
for  a  distance  of  quite  twenty  miles,  and  from  what 
I  saw  1  came  to  the  conclusion  that  in  that  direction 
the  river  must  widen  out  considerably  and  be  thickly 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        I07 

studded  with  islands,  among  which  I  thought  it  prob- 
able might  be  found  many  a  snug  lurking-place  for 
slave-craft.  On  the  extreme  verge  of  the  horizon  I 
also  distinctly  made  out  a  small  group  of  hills,  which 
1  conjectured  to  be  situate  on  the  northern  or  right 
bank  of  the  river.  From  these  hills  all  the  way 
round  northerly,  to  about  north-northwest,  the 
country  was  flat  and  pretty  well  covered  with  bush  ; 
although  at  a  distance  of  from  two  to  four  miles  in- 
land I  could  detect  here  and  there  large  open  patches 
of  grass-land.  Bearing  about  n.  n.  w.  from  my  point 
of  observation  was  another  chain  of  hills  which 
stretched  along  the  sea-coast  outside  the  river's 
mouth,  and  extended  beyond  the  horizon.  To  the 
left  of  them  again,  or  about  n.  w.  from  me,  lay 
Banana  Creek,  its  entrance  about  eleven  miles  dis- 
tant, and  over  the  intervening  tree-tops  on  Boolam- 
bemba  Island  I  could,  so  clear  was  the  atmosphere 
just  then,  distinctly  make  out  the  royal-mast  lieads 
of  the  Daphne  and  the  American  bark ;  I  could  even 
occasionally  detect  the  gleam  of  the  sloop's  pennant 
as  it  waved  idly  in  the  sluggish  breeze.  Still  further 
to  the  left  there  lay  the  river's  mouth,  with  the 
ripple  which  marked  the  junction  between  the  fresh 
and  the  salt  water  clearly  visible,  l^ext  came  Shark 
Point,  with  the  open  sea  stretching  mile  after  mile 
away  bej^ond  it,  until  its  gleaming  surface  became 
lost  in  the  ruddy  afternoon  haze,  and  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  point  I  could  trace,  without  much  diffi- 
culty, the  course  of  the  various  creeks  which  Ave  had 
explored  in  the  boat  on  the  occasion  of  our  first  visit. 


I08  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Looking  below  me,  I  allowed  my  eye  to  travel  along 
the  course  of  the  stream  or  canal  which  flowed  past 
almost  under  my  feet,  and  following  it  along  I  saw 
that  it  forked  at  a  point  about  three  miles  to  the 
westward,  and  turned  suddenly  northward  at  a  point 
about  three  miles  further  on,  the  branch  and  the 
stream  itself  eventually  joining  the  river,  and  form- 
ing with  it  two  islands  of  about  five  and  three  miles 
in  length  respectively,  the  larger  of  the  two  being 
that  which  we  had  so  laboriously  crossed  that  same 
afternoon. 

The  view  which  lay  spread  out  below  and  around 
me  was  beautifulas  a  dream ;  it  would  have  formed 
a  fascinating  study  for  a  painter  ;  but  whatever  art- 
instinct  may  have  been  awakened  within  me  upon 
my  first  glance  round  were  quickly  put  to  flight  by  a 
scene  which  presented  itself  at  a  point  only  some 
three  miles  away.  At  that  distance  the  channel  or 
stream  below  me  forked,  as  I  have  already  said,  and 
at  the  point  of  divergence  of  the  two  branches  the 
water  way  broadened  out  until  it  became  quite  a  mile 
wide,  forming  as  snug  a  little  harbor  as  one  need 
wish  to  see.  And  in  this  harbor,  perfectly  concealed 
from  all  prying  eyes  which  might  happen  to  pass  up 
or  down  the  river,  lay  a  brig,  a  brigantine,  and  a 
schooner,  three  as  rakish-looking  craft  as  could  well 
be  met  with.  Their  appearance  alone  was  almost 
sufficient  to  condemn  them ;  but  a  huge  barracoon 
standing  in  a  cleared  space  close  at  hand,  and  a  crowd 
of  blacks  huddled  together  on  the  adjacent  bank, 
apparently  in  course  of  shipment  on  board  one  or 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.         lOQ 

other  of  the  craft  in  sight,  put  their  character  quite 
beyond  question. 

A  hail  from  below  reminded  me  that  there  were 
others  who  would  feel  an  interest  in  my  discovery. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Ilawkesley,  is  there  anything  in  sight 
from  your  perch  aloft  there  worth  looking  at  ?  "  came 
floating  up  to  me  in  tlie  skipper's  voice. 

"  Yes,  sir,  indeed  there  is.  There  are  three  craft 
in  the  creek  away  yonder,  in  the  very  act  of  shipping 
negroes  at  this  moment,"  I  replied. 

"  The  deuce  there  are ! "  ejaculated  the  skipper. 
"  "Which  do  you  think  will  be  the  easier  plan  of  the 
two :  to  climb  the  tree,  or  to  make  our  way  through 
the  bush  to  the  spot  ?  " 

"  You  will  find  it  much  easier  to  climb  the  tree,  I 
think,  sir.  You  can  be  alongside  me  in  five  minutes, 
whilst  it  will  take  us  nearly  two  hours,  I  should  say, 
to  make  our  way  to  them  through  the  bush,"  I  re- 
plied. 

"  Very  well ;  hold  on  where  you  are  then.  We 
will  tackle  the  tree,  "  returned  the  skipper. 

And,  looking  down,  I  saw  him  and  the  second  lieu- 
tenant forthwith  whip  out  their  knives  and  begin 
hacking  away  at  a  creeper,  wherewith  to  make 
grummets  to  assist  them  in  their  attempt  at  tree- 
climbing. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  twain  were  alongside  me,  and 
— in  happy  forgetfulness  of  the  ruin  wrought  upon 
their  unmentionables  in  the  process  of  "  shinning  " 
aloft — eagerly  noting  through  their  telescopes  the 
operations  in  progress  on  board  the  slavers. 


no  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  They  seem  very  busy  there, "  observed  the  skip- 
per with  his  eye  still  peering  through  the  tube  of  his 
telescope.  "  You  may  depend  on  it,  Mr.  Smellie, 
the  rascals  have  got  wind  of  our  presence  in  the 
river,  and  intend  trying  to  slip  out  past  us  to-night 
as  soon  as  the  fog  settles  down.  I'll  be  bound  they 
know  every  inch  of  the  river,  and  could  find  their 
way  out  blindfold." 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  sir,"  answered  the  second  luff. 
"  But  it  is  not  high-water  until  two  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  so  that  I  suspect  they  will  not  endeavor  to 
make  a  move  until  about  an  hour  after  midnight. 
That  will  enable  them  to  go  out  on  the  top  of  the 
flood,  and  with  a  strong  land  breeze  in  their  favor." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  returned  Captain  Vernon, 
with  sparkling  eyes.  "  But  we  will  take  care  to 
have  the  boats  in  the  creek  in  good  time.  You  never 
know  where  to  have  these  fellows  ;  they  are  as  cun- 
ning as  foxes.  Please  note  their  position  as  accu- 
rately as  you  can,  Mr.  Smellie,  for  I  intend  jou  to 
lead  the  attack  to-night." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  answered  Smellie  delightedly ; 
and  planting  himself  comfortably  astride  a  branch, 
he  drew  out  a  pencil  and  paper,  and  proceeded  to 
make  a  very  careful  sketch-chart  of  the  river-mouth. 
Banana  Creek,  and  the  creek  in  which  the  slavers 
were  lying,  noting  the  bearings  carefully  with  the 
aid  of  a  pocket  compass. 

"  There,  sir,"  said  he,  when  he  had  finished,  show- 
ing the  sketch  to  the  skipper  ;  "  that  will  enable  me 
to  find  them,  I  think,  let  the  night  be  as  dark  or  as 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        Ill 

thick  as  it  may.  How  do  you  think  it  looks  for 
accuracy  ? " 

"  Capital ! ' '  answered  Captain  Yernon  approv- 
ingly ;  "  you  really  have  a  splendid  eye  for  proportion 
and  distance,  Mr.  Smellie.  That  little  chart  might 
almost  have  been  drawn  to  scale,  so  correct  does  it 
look.     How  in  the  world  do  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  all  custom,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  make  it  an 
invariable  rule  to  devote  time  and  care  enough  to 
such  sketches  as  this  to  ensure  their  being  as  nearly 
accurate  as  possible.  I  have  devised  a  few  rules 
upon  which  I  always  work ;  and  the  result  is  gen- 
erally a  very  near  approximation  to  absolute  accuracy. 
But  the  sun  is  getting  low ;  had  we  not  better  be 
moving,  sir?" 

"  By  all  means,  if  you  are  sure  you  have  all  the 
information  you  need,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  would  not 
miss  my  wa}^  in  that  confounded  jungle  to-night  for 
anything.  It  would  completely  upset  all  our  arrange- 
ments." 

"  To  say  nothing  of  the  possibility  of  our  afford- 
ing a  meal  to  some  of  the  hungry  carnivora  which 
probably  lurk  in  the  depths  of  the  said  jungle," 
thought  I.  But  I  held  my  peace,  and  dutifully  as- 
sisted my  superior  officers  to  effect  their  descent. 

It  was  decidedly  easier  to  go  up  than  to  go  down ; 
but  we  accomplished  our  descent  without  accident, 
and  after  a  long  and  wearisome  tramp  back  through 
the  bush  found  ourselves  once  more  on  board  the  gig, 
just  as  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  gilding  the  tree- 
tops.   The  tide  had  now  turned,  and  was  therefore 


112  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

again  in  our  favor ;  and  in  an  hour  from  the  time  of 
our  emerging  upon  the  main  stream  we  reached  the 
sloop,  just  as  the  first  faint  mist-wreaths  began  to 
gather  upon  the  bosom  of  the  river. 

I  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  be  allowed  to  take 
part  in  the  forthcoming  expedition  and  had  been 
eagerly  watching,  all  the  way  across  the  river,  for  an 
opportunity  to  ask  the  necessary  permission  ;  but 
Captain  Yernon  had  been  so  earnestly  engaged  in 
discussing  with  Smellie  the  details  and  arrangements 
for  the  projected  attack  that  I  had  been  unable  to  do 
so.  On  reaching  the  ship,  however,  the  opportunity 
came.  As  we  went  up  over  the  side  the  skipper 
turned  and  said : 

"  By  the  way,  Mr.  Smellie,  I  hope  you — and  you 
also,  Mr.  Hawkesley — will  give  me  the  pleasure  of 
your  company  to  dinner  this  evening  ? " 

Smellie  duly  bowed  his  acceptance  of  the  invi- 
tation and  I  was  about  to  follow  suit  when  an  idea 
struck  me  and  I  said : 

"  I  shaU  be  most  happy,  sir,  if  my  acceptance  of 
your  kind  invitation  will  not  interfere  with  my 
taking  part  in  to-night's  boat  expedition.  I  have 
been  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  ask  your  per- 
mission, and  I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  me." 

"  Oh  !  that's  it,  is  it  ?  "  laughed  the  skipper.  "  I 
thought  you  seemed  confounded  fidgety  in  the  boat. 
Well — I  scarcely  know  what  to  say  about  it  ;  it  will 
be  anything  but  child's  play,  I  can  assure  you.  StiJl, 
you  are  tall  and  strong,  and — there,  I  suppose  I  must 
say   'yes.'      And   now   run   away   and   shift  your 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        II3 

damaged  rigging  as  quickly  as  possible  ;  dinner  will 
be  on  the  table  in  ten  minutes." 

I  murmured  my  thanks  and  forthwith  dived  below 
to  bend  a  fresh  pair  of  pantaloons,  those  I  had  on 
being  in  so  dilapidated  a  condition — what  with  the 
tree-climbing  and  our  battle  with  the  thorns  and 
briers  of  the  bush — as  to  be  in  fact  scarcely 
decent. 

The  conversation  at  the  dinner-table  that  night 
was  of  a  very  animated  character,  but  as  it  referred 
entirely  to  the  projected  attack  upon  the  slavers  I 
will  not  inflict  any  portion  of  it  upon  the  reader. 
Mr.  Austin,  the  first  lieutenant,  was  at  first  very 
much  disappointed  when  he  found  he  was  not  to  lead 
the  boat  expedition  ;  but  he  brightened  up  a  bit 
when  the  skipper  pointed  out  to  him  that  in  all  prob- 
ability the  slavers  would  slip  their  cables  and  en- 
deavor to  make  their  escape  from  the  river  on  find- 
ing themselves  attacked  by  the  boats ;  in  which  case 
the  cream  of  the  fun  would  fall  to  the  share  of  those 
left  on  board  the  sloop. 

Mr.  Smellie — who  was  at  all  times  an  abstemious 
man — contented  himself  with  a  couple  of  glasses  of 
wine  after  dinner,  and,  the  moment  that  the  con- 
versation took  a  general  turn,  rose  from  the  table, 
excusing  himself  upon  the  plea  that  he  had  several 
matters  to  attend  to  in  connection  with  the  ex- 
pedition. As  he  rose  he  caught  my  eye  and  beckoned 
me  to  follow  him,  which  I  did  after  duly  making  my 
bow  to  the  company. 

"When  we  reached  the  deck  the  fog  was  so  thick 
8 


114  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

that  it  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  see  the  length 
of  the  ship. 

"Just  as  I  expected,"  remarked  my  companion. 
"  How  are  we  to  find  the  creek  in  such  weather  as 
this,  Mr.  liawkesley  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know,  sir,"  I  replied,  looking 
round  me  in  bewilderment.  "  I  suppose  the  expedi- 
tion will  have  to  be  postponed  until  it  clears  a  bit." 

"  Not  if  I  can  prevent  it,"  said  he  with  energy. 
"  Although,"  he  added,  a  little  doubtfully,  "  it  cer- 
tainly is  very  thick,  and  with  the  slightest  deviation 
from  our  course  we  should  be  irretrievably  lost. 
AYhereaway  do  you  suppose  the  creek  to  be  ? " 

"  Oh,  somewhere  in  that  direction  ! "  said  I,  point- 
ing over  the  starboard  quarter. 

"  You  are  wrong,"  remarked  my  companion,  look- 
ing into  the  binnacle.  "  The  tide  is  slackening, 
whilst  tie  land-breeze  is  freshening  ;  so  that  the  ship 
has  swung  with  her  head  to  the  eastward,  and  the 
direction  in  which  you  pointed  leads  straight  out  to 
sea.  Now,  if  you  want  to  learn  a  good  useful  lesson 
— one  which  may  prove  of  the  utmost  value  to  you 
in  after-life — come  below  with  me  to  the  master,  and 
between  us  we  will  show  you  how  to  find  that  creek 
in  the  fog." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  I,  "  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
learn.  Why,  you  do  not  even  know  its  compass- 
bearing." 

"  No,"  said  Smellie,  "  but  we  will  soon  find  it 
out." 

With  that  we  descended  to  the  master's  cabin, 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.         II5 

where  we  found  the  owner  in  his  shirt-sleeves  and 
with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  poring  over  a  chart  of  the 
coast  on  which  was  shown  the  mouth  of  the  river 
only,  its  inland  coast  being  shown  by  two  dotted 
lines,  indicating  that  the  portion  thus  marked  had 
never  been  properly  surveyed.  He  was  busily  en- 
gaged as  we  entered  laying  down  in  pencil  upon 
this  chart  certain  corrections  and  remarks  with 
reference  to  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tidal  current 

"  Good  evening,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  as  we  en- 
tered. "  Well,  Mr.  Smellie,  so  you  are  going  to 
lead  the  attack  upon  the  slavers  to-night,  I  hear." 

"Yes,"  said  Smellie,  unconsciously  straightening 
himself  up ;  "  yes,  if  this  fog  does  not  baffle  us. 
And  in  order  that  it  may  not,  I  have  come  to  invoke 
your  assistance,  Mr.  Mildmay." 

"  All  right,  sir !  "  said  old  Mildmay.  "  I  expected 
you ;  I  was  waiting  for  you,  sir." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  the  second  lieutenant. 
"  Now,  Mildmay,"  bending  over  the  chart,  "  where- 
abouts is  the  Daphne  f  " 

'-^ There  she  is,"  replied  the  master,  placing  the 
point  of  his  pencil  carefully  down  on  the  chart  and 
twisting  it  round  so  as  to  produce  a  black  mark. 

"  Very  good,"  assented  Smellie.  "  JN^ow,  look 
here,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  this  is  where  your  lesson  be- 
gins." And  he  produced  the  sketch-chart  he  had 
made  that  afternoon  and  spread  it  out  on  the  table. 

"  You  will  see  from  this  sketch,"  he  proceeded, 
"  that  the  Daphne  bore  exactly  n.n.w.  from  the  tree 
in  which  we  were  perched  when  I  made  it.     Which 


Il6  THE   CONGO    ROVERS, 

is  equivalent  to  saying  that  the  tree  bears  s.  s.  e.  from 
the  Dajphne^  is  it  not  % " 

I  assented." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  continued  Smellie.  "  Be  so 
good,  Mr.  Mildmay,  as  to  draw  a  line  s.  s.  e.  from 
that  pencil-mark  which  represents  the  Dajphne  on 
your  chart." 

The  master  took  his  parallel  ruler  and  did  so. 

"  So  far,  so  good,"  resumed  the  second  lieutenant. 
"  Kow  my  sketch  shows  that  the  outer  extremity  of 
Shark  Point  bore  from  the  tree  n.  w.  \  w.  In  other 
words,  the  tree  bears  from  Shark  Point  s.  e.  \  e.  Lay 
off  that  bearing,  Mildmay,  if  you  please." 

"  Very  good,"  he  continued,  when  this  second  line 
had  been  drawn.  "  Now  it  is  evident  that  the  point 
where  these  two  lines  intersect  must  be  the  position 
of  the  tree.  But,  as  a  check  upon  these  two  bear- 
ings, I  took  a  third  to  that  sharp,  projecting  point 
at  the  mouth  of  Banana  Creek,"  indicating  with  the 
pencil  on  the  chart  the  point  in  question.  "  That 
point  bears  n.  w.  by  n.,  consequently  the  tree  bears 
from  it  s.  e.  by  s.  Mark  that  off,  also,  Mildmay,  if 
you  please." 

The  master  did  so,  and  the  three  lines  were  found 
to  intersect  each  other  at  exactly  the  same  point. 

"  Capital ! "  exclaimed  Smellie,  in  high  good- 
humor.  "  That  satisfactorily  establishes  the  exact 
position  of  the  tree.  Now  for  the  next  step.  The 
slave  fleet  bears  n.  w.  \  w.  from  the  tree ;  and  the 
western  entrance  to  the  creek  (that  by  which  we 
shall  advance  to  the  attack  to-night)  bears  exactly 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        II7 

N.  w.  from  the  same  point.  Let  us  lay  down  these 
two  bearings  on  the  chart — thus.  Now  it  is  evident 
that  the  slave  fleet  and  the  entrance  to  the  creek 
are  situate  somewhere  or  other  on  these  two  lines ; 
the  question  is — where  f  I  will  show  you  how  I  as- 
certained those  two  very  important  bits  of  informa- 
tion if  you  will  step  to  my  cabin  and  bring  me  the 
telescope  w^hich  you  will  find  hanging  against  the 
bulkhead." 

Intensely  interested  in  this  valuable  practical  lesson 
in  surveying  I  hurried  away  to  do  his  bidding,  and 
speedily  returned  with  the  glass,  a  small  but  very 
powerful  instrument,  which  I  had  often  greatly 
admired. 

Taking  the  telescope  from  my  hand  he  drew  it 
open  and  directed  my  attention  to  a  long  series  of 
neat  little  numbered  lines  scratched  on  the  polished 
brass  tube. 

"  You  see  these  scratches  ?  "  he  said.  "  Very  well ; 
now  I  will  explain  to  you  what  the}''  are.  When  I 
was  a  midshipman  it  w^as  my  good  fortune  to  be  en- 
gaged for  a  time  on  certain  surveying  work,  during 
which  I  acquired  a  tolerably  clear  insight  of  the 
science.  And  after  the  work  was  over  and  done 
with,  it  occurred  to  me  that  my  knowledge  might 
be  of  the  greatest  use  in  cases  similar  to  the  present. 
Now  I  may  tell  you,  by  way  of  explanation,  that 
surveying  consists,  broadly,  in  the  measurement  of 
angles  and  lines.  The  angles  are,  as  you  have  already 
seen,  very  easily  taken  by  means  of  a  pocket-com- 
pass ;  but  the  measurement  of  the  lines  bothered  me 


Il8  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

very  considerably  for  a  long  time.  Of  course  you 
can  measure  a  line  with  perfect  accuracy  by  means 
of  a  surveyor's  chain,  but  I  wanted  something-  which, 
if  not  quite  so  accurate  as  that,  would  be  sufficiently 
correct,  while  not  occupying  more  than  a  few  seconds 
in  the  operation  of  measurement.  So  I  set  to  work 
and  trained  myself  to  judge  distances  by  the  eye 
alone  ;  and  by  constant  diligent  practise  I  acquired 
quite  a  surprising  amount  of  proficiency.  And  let 
me  say  here,  I  would  very  strongly  recommend  you 
and  every  young  officer  to  practise  the  same  thing  ; 
you  will  be  surprised  when  you  discover  in  how  many 
unexpected  ways  it  will  be  found  useful.  Well,  I 
managed  to  do  a  great  deal  of  serviceable  work  even 
in  this  rough-and-ready  way ;  but  after  a  time  I  grew 
dissatisfied  with  it — I  wanted  some  means  of  measur- 
ing which  should  be  just  as  rapid  but  a  great  deal 
more  accurate.  I  thought  the  matter  over  for  a 
long  time,  and  at  last  hit  upon  the  idea  of  turning 
the  telescope  to  account.  The  way  I  did  it  was  this, 
You  have,  of  course,  found  that  if  you  look  through 
your  telescope  at  an  object,  say,  half  a  mile  away, 
and  then  direct  the  instrument  to  another  object, 
say  four  miles  off,  you  have  to  alter  the  focus  of  the 
glass  before  you  can  see  the  second  object  distinctly. 
It  was  this  peculiarity  which  I  pressed  into  my 
service  as  a  means  of  measuring  distances.  My  first 
step  was  to  secure  a  small,  handy,  but  first-rate 
telescope — the  best  I  could  procure  for  money  ;  and, 
provided  with  this,  I  commenced  operations  by  look- 
ing through  it  at  objects,  the  exact   distances  of 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        llQ 

which  from  me  I  knew.  I  focused  the  glass  upon 
them  carefully,  and  then  made  a  little  scratch  on 
the  tube  showing  how  far  it  had  been  necessary  to 
draw  it  out  in  order  to  see  the  object  distinctly  ;  and 
then  I  marked  the  scratch  with  the  distance  of  the 
object.  You  see,"  pointing  to  the  tube,  "  I  have  a 
regular  scale  of  distances  here,  from  one  hundred 
yards  up  to  ten  miles  ;  and  these  scratches,  let  me 
tell  yoa,  represent  the  expenditure  of  a  vast  amount 
of  time  and  labor.  But  they  are  worth  it  all.  For 
instance,  I  Avant  to  ascertain  the  distance  of  an 
object.  I  direct  the  telescope  toward  it,  focus  the 
instrument  carefully,  and  find  that  I  can  see  it  most 
clearly  when  the  tube  is  drawn  out  to,  say,  this  dis- 
tance," suiting  the  action  to  the  word.  "  I  then  look 
at  the  scale  scratched  on  the  tube,  and  find  that  it 
reads  six  thousand  one  hundred  feet — which  is  a  few 
feet  over  one  nautical  mile.  And  thus  I  measure  all 
my  distances,  and  am  so  enabled  to  make  a  really 
satisfactory  little  survey  in  a  few  minutes  as  in  the 
case  of  this  afternoon.  You  must  not  suppose,  how- 
ever, that  I  am  able  to  measure  in  this  way  with 
absolute  accuracy  ;  I  am  not ;  but  I  manage  to  get 
a  very  near  approximation  to  it,  near  enough  for 
such  purposes  as  the  present.  Thus,  within  the  dis- 
tance of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  I  have  found  that  I  can 
always  measure  within  two  feet  of  the  actual  dis- 
tance; beyond  that  and  up  to  half  a  mile  I  can 
measure  within  four  feet  of  the  actual  distance  ;  and 
so  on  up  to  ten  miles,  which  distance  I  can  measure 
to  within  four  hundred  feet. 


120  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  And  now  to  return  to  the  business  in  hand.  My 
telescope  informed  me  that  the  slave  fleet  was  an- 
chored at  a  distance  of  eighteen  thousand  three 
hundred  feet  (or  a  shade  over  three  nautical  miles) 
from  the  tree,  and  that  the  western  entrance  to  the 
creek  is  twenty-eight  thousand  nine  hundred  feet  (or 
about  four  and  three-quarter  nautical  miles)  from 
the  same  spot.  We  liave  now  only  to  mark  off  these 
two  distances  on  the  two  compass-bearings  which 
we  last  laid  down  on  the  chart :  thus  " — measuring 
and  marking  off  the  distances  as  he  spoke — "  and 
here  we  have  the  position  of  the  slavers  and  of  the 
entrance  to  the  creek ;  and  by  a  moment's  use  of 
Mildmay's  parallel  ruler — thus — we  get  the  compass 
bearing  of  the  entrance  from  the  Daphne.  There  it 
is — s.  E,  by  E.;  and  now  we  measure  the  distance 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  find  it  to  be — eight  miles, 
as  nearly  as  it  is  possible  to  measure  it.  Thus,  you 
see,  my  rough-and-ready  survey  of  this  afternoon 
affords  us  the  means  of  ascertaining  our  course  and 
distance  from  the  Daphne  to  a  point  for  which  we 
should  otherwise  have  been  obliged  to  search,  and 
which  we  could  not  possibly  have  hoped  to  find  in 
the  impenetrable  fog  which  now  overspreads  the 
river." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Smellie,"  said  I,  highly  delighted 
with  the  lesson  I  had  received  ;  "  if  it  will  not  be 
troubling  you  too  much,  I  think  I  must  ask  you  to 
give  me  a  lesson  or  two  in  surveying  when  you  can 
spare  the  time." 

"  I  shall  be  very  pleased,"  was  the  reply.    "  Never 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE    SURVEY.        121 

hesitate  to  come  to  me  for  any  information  or  in- 
struction whicli  you  think  I  may  be  able  to  afford 
you.  I  shall  always  be  happy  to  help  you  on  in 
your  studies  to  the  utmost  extent  of  my  ability. 
But  we  have  not  quite  finished  yet,  and  it  is  now, 
Mildmay,  that  I  think  you  may  perhaps  be  able  to 
help  us.  You  see  we  shall  have  to  pull — or  sail,  as 
the  case  may  be — across  the  current,  and  it  will 
therefore  be  necessary  to  make  some  allowance  for 
its  set.  Now  do  you  happen  to  know  anything 
about  the  speed  of  the  current  in  the  river? " 

"  ]^ot  half  so  much  as  I  should  like,"  replied  the 
master ;  "  but  a  hint  which  the  skipper  dropped  this 
morning  caused  me  to  take  the  dinghy  and  go  away 
out  in  mid-stream  to  spend  the  day  in  fishing — ha — 
ha — ha  !  The  Yankee  had  his  glass  turned  full  ujwn 
me,  off  and  on,  the  whole  morning — so  I'm  told— 
and  if  so  I  daresay  he  saw  that  I  had  some  fairly 
good  sport.  But  I  wasn't  so  busy  with  my  hooks 
and  lines  but  that  I  found  time  to  ascertain  that  the 
ebb-stream  runs  at  a  rate  of  about  four  knots  at  half 
tide;  and  just  abreast  of  us  it  flows  to  seaward  at 
the  rate  of  about  one  knot  at  half-flood  ;  the  salt 
water  flowing  into  the  river  along  the  bottom,  and 
the  fresh  water  continuing  to  flow  outwards  on  the 
surface.  Now  at  what  time  do  you  propose  to 
start  % " 

"  About  half-past  nine  to-night,"  answered  Smel- 
lie. 

Old  Mildmay  referred  to  a  book  by  his  side,  and 
then  said  : 


122  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Ah !  then  you  will  have  about  two  hours'  ebb 
to  contend  with — the  last  two  hours  of  the  ebb-tide. 
Now  let  me  see  "—and  he  produced  a  sheet  of  paper 
on  which  were  some  calculations,  evidently  the  re- 
sult of  his  observations  whilst  "  fishing."  He  ran 
over  these  carefully,  and  then  said : 

"  How  long  do  you  expect  it  will  take  you  to 
cross  ? " 

"  Two  hours,  if  we  have  to  pull  across — as  I  ex- 
pect we  shall,"  answered  the  second  lieutenant. 

"  Two  hours  !  "  mused  the  master.  "  Two  hours ! 
Then  you'll  have  to  make  allowance,  sir,  for  an  aver- 
age set  to  seaward  of  two  miles  an  hour  all  the  way 
across,  or  four  miles  in  all." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Smellie.  "  Then  to  counteract 
that  we  must  shape  our  course  for  a  point  four  miles 
above  that  which  marks  the  entrance  to  the  creek — 
must  we  not,  Mr.  Hawkesley  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  I  said ;  "  that  is  quite  clear." 

"  Then  be  so  good  as  to  lay  that  course  down  on 
the  chart." 

I  measured  off  a  distance  of  four  miles  with  the 
dividers,  and  marked  it  off  above  the  mouth  of  the 
creek ;  then  applied  the  parallel  ruler  and  found  the 
course. 

"  It  is  exactly  s.  e.,"  said  I ;  "  and  it  will  take  us 
close  past  the  southern  extremity  of  this  small 
island." 

"  That  is  quite  right,"  remarked  Smellie,  who  had 
been  watching  me  ;  "  and  if  we  happen  to  sight  the 
land  in  passing  that  point  it  will  be  an  assurance 


MR.    SMELLIE    MAKES   A    LITTLE   SURVEY.        1 23 

that,  SO  far,  we  have  been  steering  our  proper  course. 
But — bless  me" — looking  at  his  watch — "it  is  a 
quarter  after  nine.  I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  late. 
Run  away,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  and  make  your  prepara- 
tions. Put  on  your  worst  suit  of  clothes,  and  throw 
your  pea-jacket  into  the  boat.  You  may  be  glad  to 
have  it  when  we  get  into  the  thick  of  that  damp 
fog.  Bring  your  pistols,  but  not  your  dirk ;  a  ship's 
cutlass,  with  which  the  armorer  will  supply  you, 
will  be  much  more  serviceable  for  the  work  we  have 
in  hand  to-night." 

I  hastened  away,  and  reached  the  deck  again  just 
in  time  to  see  the  men  going  down  the  side  into  the 
boats  after  undergoing  inspection. 


124  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  yilL 


WE    ATTACK    THE    SLAVERS. 


The  attacking  flotilla  was  composed  of  the  launch, 
under  Mr,  Smellie,  with  me  for  an  aide  •  the  first 
cutter,  in  charge  of  IVIr.  Armitage,  the  third  lieu- 
tenant ;  and  the  second  cutter,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
"Williams,  the  master's  mate  ;  the  force  consisting 
of  forty  seamen  and  four  oiRcers — quite  strong 
enough,  in  Captain  Yernon's  opinion,  to  give  a  satis- 
factory account  of  the  three  slavers,  which,  it  was 
arranged,  we  were  to  attack  simultaneously,  one  boat 
to  each  vessel. 

The  last  parting  instructions  having  been  given 
to  Smellie  by  the  skipper,  and  rounded  off  with  a 
hearty  hand-shake  and  an  earnest  exclamation  of 
"  I  wish  you  success ; "  with  a  still  more  hearty 
hand-shake  and  a  "  Good-bye,  Harold,  old  boy, 
good  luck  attend  you !  "  from  Mr.  Austin,  the  second 
lieutenant  motioned  me  into  the  launch ;  followed 
me  closely  down  ;  the  word  to  shove  off  was  given, 
and  away  we  went  punctually  at  half-past  nine,  to 
the  minute. 

The  fog  was  still  as  thick  as  ever ;  so  thick,  indeed, 
that  it  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  see  one  end 


WE    ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  125 

of  the  boat  from  the  other ;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  care  with  which,  as  I  had  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing,  the  second  lieutenant  had  worked  out  all  his 
calculations,  I  own  that  it  seemed  to  me  quite  hope- 
less to  expect  that  we  should  find  the  place  of  which 
we  were  in  search.  Nevertheless,  we  pushed  out 
boldly  into  the  opaque  darkness,  and  the  boats' 
heads  were  at  once  laid  in  the  required  direction, 
each  coxswain  steering  by  compass,  the  lighted  bin- 
nacle containing  which  had  been  previously  masked 
with  the  utmost  care.  Our  object  being  to  take  the 
slavers  by  surprise  the  oars  were  of  course  muffled, 
and  the  strictest  silence  enjoined.  Thus  there  was 
neither  light  nor  sound  to  betray  our  whereabouts, 
and  we  slid  over  the  placid  surface  of  the  river  al- 
most as  noiselessly  as  so  niany  mist-wreaths. 

In  so  dense  a  fog  it  was  necessary  to  adopt  un- 
usual precautions  in  order  to  prevent  the  boats  from 
parting  company.  We  therefore  proceeded  in  sin- 
gle file,  the  launch  leading,  with  the  first  cutter  at- 
tached by  her  painter,  the  second  cutter,  in  her  turn, 
attached  by  her  painter  to  the  first  cutter,  bringing 
up  the  rear.  The  cutters  were  ordered  to  regulate 
their  speed  so  that  the  connecting  rope  between 
each  and  the  boat  ahead  should  be  just  slack  enough 
to  dip  into  the  water  and  no  more,  thus  insuring 
that  each  boat's  crew  should  do  its  own  fair  share 
of  work  at  the  oars. 

Once  fairly  away  from  the  ship's  side  we  were 
immediately  swallowed  up  by  the  impenetrable 
mist ;  and  for  a  considerable  time  the  flotilla  glided 


126  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

gently  along,  without  a  sight  or  sound  to  tell  us 
whether  we  were  going  right  or  wrong ;  without 
the  utterance  of  a  word  on  board  either  of  the  boats ; 
and  with  only  the  slight  muffled  sound  of  the  oars 
in  the  rowlocks  and  the  gurgle  of  the  water  along 
the  boats'  sides  to  tell  that  we  were  moving  at  all. 
The  silence  would  have  been  oppressive  but  for  the 
slight  murmuring  swirl  and  ripple  of  the  great  river 
and  the  chirping  of  the  countless  millions  of  insects 
which  swarmed  in  the  bush  on  both  banks  of  the 
stream.  The  latter  sent  forth  so  remarkable  a  vol- 
ume of  sound  that  when  first  told  it  was  created  by 
insects  alone  I  found  my  credulity  taxed  to  its 
utmost  limit ;  and  it  was  not  until  I  w^as  solemnly 
assured  by  Mr.  Austin  that  such  was  the  case  that  I 
quite  believed  it.  It  was  not  unlike  the  "whirr" 
of  machinery,  save  that  it  rose  and  fell  in  distinct 
cadences,  and  occasionally — as  if  by  preconcerted 
arrangement  on  the  part  of  every  individual  insect 
in  the  district — stopped  altogether  for  a  few  mo- 
ments. Then,  indeed,  the  silence  became  weird, 
oppressive,  uncanny  ;  making  one  involuntarily 
shuffle  nearer  to  one's  neighbor  and  glance  half- 
fearfuUy  over  one's  shoulder.  Then,  after  a  slight 
interval,  a  faint,  far-off  signal  ddrp  !  chirp  !  would 
be  heard,  and  in  an  instant  the  whole  insect-world 
would  burst  into  full  chorus  once  more,  and  the  air 
would  fairly  vibrate  with  sound.  But  the  night 
had  other  voices  than  this.  Mingled  with  the  chirr 
of  the  insects  there  would  occasionally  float  off  to 
us  the  snarling  roar  of  some  forest  savage,  the  bark- 


WE    ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  1 27 

ing  call  of  the  deer,  the  yelping  of  a  jackal,  the 
blood-curdling  cry  of  a  hyena,  the  grunt  of  a  hippo- 
potamus, the  weird  cry  of  some  night-bird  ;  and — 
nearer  at  hand,  sometimes  apparently  within  a  yard 
or  so  of  the  boats — sundry  mysterious  puffings  and 
blowings,  and  sudden  faint  splashings  of  the  Avater, 
Avhich  latter  made  me  for  one,  and  probably  many 
of  the  others  who  heard  them,  feel  particularly  un- 
comfortable, especially  if  they  liappened  to  occur 
in  one  of  the  brief  intervals  of  silence  on  shore. 
Once,  in  particular,  during  one  of  those  silent  inter- 
vals, my  hair  fairly  bristled  as  the  boat  was  sud- 
denly but  silently  brought  up  all  standing  by  com- 
ing into  violent  collision,  with  some  object  which 
broke  water  directly  under  our  bows ;  the  shock 
being  instantly  followed  by  a  low  moaning  sigh  and 
a  tremendous  swirl  of  the  water  as  the  creature — 
whatever  it  was — sank  again  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  river. 

The  men  in  the  launch  were,  like  myself,  consid- 
erably startled  at  the  circumstance,  and  one  of  them 
— an  Irishman — exclaimed,  in  the  first  paroxysm  of 
his  dismay  : 

"  Howly  ropeyarns !  Avhat  was  that?  Is  it  ship- 
wrecked, stranded,  and  cast  away  we  are  on  the 
back  of  a  say-crocodile  ?  Thin,  Mister  Crocodile, 
let  me  tell  yez  at  wanst  that  I'm  not  good  to  ate  ; 
I'm  so  sthrongly  flavored  wid  the  tibaccy  that  I'd 
be  shure  to  disagraj''  wid  yez." 

This  absurd  exclamation  appealed  so  forcibly  to 
the  men's  sense  of  the  ridiculous  that  it  had  the 


128  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

instant  effect  of  steadying  their  nerves  and  raising 
a  hearty  laugh,  which,  however,  was  as  instant!}" 
checked  by  Smellie,  who,  though  he  could  not 
restrain  a  smile,  exclaimed  sharply  : 

"  Silence,  fore  and  aft !  How  dare  you  cry  out 
in  that  riduculous  fashion,  Flanaghan  ?  I  have  a 
good  mind  to  report  you,  sir,  as  soon  as  we  return 
to  the  ship," 

"  Who  shall  say  hoio  many  of  us  will  live  to  re- 
turn ?  " 

"  Merciful  God  !  who  spoke?  "  hoarsely  cried  the 
second  lieutenant.  And  well  he  might.  The  words 
were  uttered  in  a  sound  scarcely  above  a  whisper,  in 
so  low  a  tone,  indeed,  that  but  for  Smellie's  startled 
ejaculation  I  should  almost  have  been  inclined  to 
accept  them  as  prompted  by  my  own  excited  im- 
agination ;  yet  I  saw  in  an  instant  that  every  man 
in  the  boat  had  heard  them  and  was  as  much  startled 
as  myself .  "Who had  uttered  them,  indeed?  Every 
man's  look,  as  his  horrified  glance  sought  his  neigh- 
bor's face,  asked  the  same  question.  Nobody  seemed 
to  have  recognized  or  to  be  able  to  identify  the  voice  ; 
and  the  strangest  thing  about  it  was  that  it  did  not 
appear  to  had  been  spoken  in  the  boat  at  all,  but 
from  a  point  close  at  hand. 

The  men  had,  with  one  accord,  laid  upon  their 
oars  in  the  first  shock  of  this  new  surprise,  and  be- 
fore they  had  recovered  themselves  the  first  cutter 
had  ranged  up  alongside. 

"  Did  any  one  speak  on  board  you,  Armitage  ?  " 
asked  Smellie. 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  129 

"  l^o,  certainly  not,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Did  you  hear  any  one  speak  on  board  the  second 
cutter  then  ? "  followed. 

"  1:^0 ;  I  heard  nothing.     Why  ? " 

"  No  matter,"  muttered  the  second  lieutenant. 
Then,  in  a  low  but  somewhat  louder  tone : 

"  Give  way,  launches ;  some  one  has  been  trying 
to  play  a  trick  upon  us." 

The  men  resumed  their  work  at  the  oars  ;  but  an 
occasional  scarcel}^ -heard  whisper  reaching  my  ears 
and  suggesting  rather  than  conveying  such  frag- 
mentary sentences  as  "  Some  of  us  doomed " — 
"  Lose  the  number  of  our  mess,"  etc.,  etc.,  showed 
that  a  very  unfortunate  impression  had  been  made 
by  the  strange  incident. 

As  we  proceeded,  the  second  lieutenant  began  to 
consult  his  watch,  and,  at  last  turning  to  me  as  he 
slipped  it  back  into  his  fob,  he  whispered  : 

"  A  quarter  after  ten.  "We  ought  now  to  be  close 
to  Boolambemba  Point,  but  the  fog  keeps  so  dense 
that  I  am  afraid  there  is  no  chance  of  our  sighting- 
it." 

The  insect  chorus  had  been  silent  for  an  unusually 
long  time  when  he  spoke;  but  as  the  words  left 
Smellie's  lips  the  sounds  burst  out  once  more, 
this  time  in  startling  proximity  to  our  larboard 
hand. 

"  By  George !  there  it  is,  though,  sure  enough," 
continued  Smellie.     "  By  the  sharpness  of  the  sound 
we  must  be  close  aboard  of  the  point.     How  is  her 
head,  coxswain  ? " 
9 


130  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

Before  the  man  could  reply  there  came  in  a  low 
murmur  from  the  men  pulling  the  port  oars : 

"  We're  stirring  up  the  mud  here,  sir,  on  the  port 
hand." 

And  at  the  same  moment,  looking  up,  we  became 
aware  that  the  darkness  was  deeper — more  intense 
and  opaque,  as  it  were,  on  our  port  hand  than  any- 
where else. 

"  All  right !  "  answered  Smellie  ;  "  that  is  the 
point,  sure  enough,  and  very  prettily  w^e  have  hit  it 
off.  If  Ave  can  only  make  as  good  a  shot  at  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  I  shall  be  more  than  satisfied. 
How  have  you  been  steering,  coxswain  ? " 

"  Southeast,  sir,  as  straight  as  ever  I  could  keep 
her." 

"  That's  all  right.  Southeast  is  your  course  all 
the  way  across.  Now  we  are  beginning  to  draw 
off  from  the  point  and  out  into  mid-stream,  and 
there  must  be  no  more  talking  upon  any  pretense 
whatever.  The  noise  of  the  insects  will  tell  us 
when  we  are  drawing  in  Avith  the  other  bank.  On 
a  night  like  this  one  has  to  be  guided  in  a  great 
measure  by  sound,  and  even  the  chirp  of  the  grass- 
hoppers may  be  made  useful,  Mr.  Hawkesley." 

1  murmured  a  whispered  assent  as  in  duty  bound, 
and  then  all  hands  relapsed  into  silence  once  more. 

The  men  worked  steadily  away  at  the  oars,  not 
exerting  themselves  to  any  great  extent,  but  keeping 
the  boat  moving  at  the  rate  of  about  four  knots  per 
hour.  According  to  our  time-reckoning,  and  the 
fact  that  the  volume  of  sound  proceeding  from  the 


WE   ATTACK   THE   SLAVERS.  I31 

southern  bank  of  the  river  had  overpowered  that 
from  the  northern  bank,  we  had  accomplished 
rather  more  than  the  half  of  our  passage  across 
the  stream,  when,  happening  to  raise  my  head 
upon  emerging  from  a  brown  study  into  which  I 
had  fallen,  I  thought  I  caught  a  momentary  glimpse 
of  some  object  looming  through  the  fog  broad  on 
our  port  beam.  I  looked  more  earnestly  still,  and 
presently  felt  convinced  that  there  toas  something 
there. 

Laying  my  hand  on  the  second  lieutenant's  arm 
to  call  his  attention,  I  whispered : 

"  Can  you  see  anything  out  there,  sir,  abreast  of 
us  on  our  port  hand  ? " 

Smellie  looked  eagerly  in  the  indicated  direction 
for  some  moments,  and  then  turning  to  the  cox- 
swain, whispered  : 

"  Starboard — hard ! " 

The  boat's  helm  was  put  over,  her  bows  swept 
round,  and  then  I  was  certain  that  we  were  heing 
watched,  for  as  the  launch  swerved  out  of  her  course 
the  object  became  suddenly  more  distinct,  only  to 
vanish  completely  into  the  fog  next  moment,  how- 
ever, its  course  being  as  suddenly  and  promptly 
altered  as  our  own,  thus  proving  that  there  were 
other  eyes  at  least  as  sharp  as  ours.  But  that  single 
momentary  glance  had  been  sufficient  to  show  me 
that  the  object  was  a  native  canoe  containing  three 
persons. 

The  second  lieutenant  was  seriously  disconcerted 
at  this  discovery,  and  was  evidently  in  great  doubt 


132  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

as  to  whether  it  would  be  more  prudent  to  push  on 
or  to  turn  back.  If  the  occupants  of  the  canoe  hap- 
pened to  be  associated  with  the  slavers,  and  had 
been  sent  out  as  scouts  in  anticipation  of  an  attack 
from  us,  then  there  could  be  little  doubt  that  it 
would  be  wiser  to  turn  back,  since  a  light  craft  like 
a  canoe  could  easily  reach  the  creek  far  enough 
ahead  of  us  to  give  the  alarm,  in  which  case  we 
should  find  a  warm  reception  prepared  for  us ;  and 
in  so  dense  a  fog  all  the  advantage  would  be  on  the 
side  of  those  manning  the  slave  fleet. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  rencontre  might  possibly 
have  been  purely  accidental,  and  its  occupants  su- 
premely indifferent  to  the  movements  of  ourselves 
and  the  slavers  alike,  in  which  case  it  would  be  not 
only  mortifying  in  the  extreme  but  possibly  fatal 
to  Smellie's  prospects  in  the  service  if  he  allowed 
himself  to  be  frightened  out  of  the  advantage  of 
so  excellent  an  opportunity  for  effecting  a  surprise. 

It  was  a  most  embarrassing  problem  with  which 
he  thus  suddenly  found  himself  brought  face  to  face  ; 
but  with  a  brave  man  the  question  could  not  long 
remain  an  oj)en  one ;  a  few  seconds  sufficed  him  to 
determine  on  proceeding  and  taking  our  chance. 

The  sounds  from  the  shore  now  rapidly  increased 
in  intensity,  and  by  and  by  we  suddenly  found  that 
they  proceeded  from  both  sides  of  the  boats.  Smel- 
lie  drew  out  his  watch  and  consulted  it  by  the  light 
of  the  boat's  binnacle. 

"  Twenty  minutes  to  twelve  !  and  we  are  now 
entering  the  creek,"  he  whispered  to  me. 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  1 33 

The  slavers,  we  knew,  were  anchored  about  two 
miles  up  the  creek,  and  the  conviction  suddenly 
smote  me  that  in  another  half-hour  I  should,  in  all 
probability,  be  engaged  in  a  fierce  and  deadly  strug- 
gle. Somehow  up  to  that  moment  I  had  only 
regarded  the  attack  as  a  remote  possibility — a  some- 
thing which  mighthwi  was  not  very  likely  to  happen. 
I  suppose  I  had  unconciously  been  entertaining  a 
doubt  as  to  the  possibility  of  our  finding  the  creek. 
Yet,  there  we  were  in  it,  and  nothing  could  now 
avert  a  combat,  and  more  or  less  bloodshed. 
Nothing,  that  is,  except  the  exceedingly  unlikely  cir- 
cumstance of  our  finding  the  birds  flown. 

Did  I  wish  this ?     Was  I  afraid? 

Honestly,  I  am  unable  to  say  whether  I  was  or 
not ;  but  I  am  inclined  to  acquit  myself  of  the  charge 
of  cowardice.  My  sensations  were  peculiar  and 
rather  unpleasant,  I  freely  admit ;  but  looking  back 
upon  them  now  in  the  light  of  long  years  of  experi- 
ence, I  am  disposed  to  attribute  them  entirely  to  nerv- 
ous excitement.  Hitherto  my  nostrils  had  never 
sniffed  the  odor  of  powder  burned  in  anger ;  I  was 
about  to  undergo  a  perfectly  new  experience ;  I  was 
about  to  engage  with  my  fellow-men  in  mortal  com- 
bat ;  to  come  face  to  face  with  and  within  arm's- 
length  of  those  who  if  the  opportunity  occurred, 
would  take  my  life  deliberately  and  without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation.  In  a  short  half-hour  I  might  be 
dying — or  dead.  As  this  disagreeable  and  inoppor- 
tune reflection  flashed  through  my  mind  my  heart 
throbbed  violently,  the  blood  rushed  to  my  head, 


134  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

and  my  breathing  became  so  labored  that  I  felt  as 
though  I  was  stifling.  These  disagreeable — indeed 
I  might  more  truthfully  call  them  j)(^'^^ful — sensa- 
tions lasted  in  their  intensity  perhaps  as  long  as  five 
minutes,  after  which  they  rapidly  subsided,  to  be 
succeeded  by  a  feverish  longing  and  impatience  for 
the  moment  of  action.  My  excitement  ceased ;  my 
breathing  again  became  regular  ;  but  the  period  of 
suspense — that  period  which  only  a  few  minutes 
before  had  seemed  so  short — now  felt  as  though  it 
were  lengthening  out  to  a  veritable  eternity.  I 
wanted  to  begin  at  once,  to  know  the  worst,  and  to 
get  it  over. 

I  had  not  much  longer  to  wait.  "We  had  ad- 
vanced about  a  mile  up  the  creek  when  a  deep  hoarse 
voice  was  heard  shouting  something  from  the  shore. 

"  Oars !  "  exclaimed  Smellie ;  and  the  men  ceased 
pulling.  "  "What  was  it  the  fellow  said  ?  "  continued 
the  second  lieutenant,  turning  to  me. 

"  Haven't  the  slightest  idea,  but  it  sounded  like 
Spanish,"  I  replied. 

The  hail  was  repeated,  but  we  could  make  nothing 
of  it.  Mr.  Armitage,  however,  who  boasted  a  slight 
knowledge  of  Spanish,  informed  us — the  first  cutter 
having  by  this  time  drifted  up  abreast  of  us — that  it 
was  a  caution  to  us  to  return  at  once  or  take  the  con- 
sequences. 

"  Oh !  that's  it,  is  it  ? "  remarked  Smellie.  "  "Well, 
it  seems  that  we  are  discovered,  so  any  further  at- 
tempt at  a  surprise  is  useless.  Cast  the  boats  adrift 
from  each  other,  and  we  will  make  a  dash  for  it. 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  135 

Our  best  chance  now  is  to  board  and  carry  the  three 
craft  simultaneously  with  a  rush — if  we  can.  Give 
way,  lads ! " 

The  boats'  painters  were  cast  off  ;  the  crews  with 
a  ringing  cheer  plunged  their  oars  simultaneously 
into  the  water,  and  away  we  went  at  racing  speed 
through  the  dense  fog  along  the  channel. 

We  had  scarcely  pulled  half  a  dozen  strokes  when 
the  report  of  a  musket  rang  out  from  the  bank  on 
our  starboard  hand  ;  and  at  the  same  instant  a  line 
of  tiny  sparks  of  fire  appeared  on  either  hand  through 
the  thick  haze,  rapidly  increasing  in  size  and  lumi- 
nosity until  they  stood  revealed  as  huge  fires  of  dry 
brushwood.  They  were  twelve  in  number,  six  on 
either  bank  of  the  channel,  and  were  spaced  about 
three  hundred  yards  apart.  So  large  were  they 
that  they  rendered  the  fog  quite  luminous  ;  and  it 
seemed  pretty  evident  that  they  had  been  built  and 
lighted  for  the  express  purpose  of  illuminating  the 
channel  and  revealing  our  exact  whereabouts.  I  was 
congratulating  myself  upon  the  circumstance  that 
the  dense  fog  would  to  a  considerable  extent  defeat 
their  purpose,  when,  in  an  instant,  as  though  we  had 
passed  out  through  a  solid  wall,  we  emerged  from 
the  fog,  and  there  lay  the  three  slave  craft  before  us 
moored  with  springs  on  their  cables,  boarding-net- 
tings triced  up,  and  guns  run  out,  evidently  quite 
ready  to  receive  us. 

The  three  craft  were  moored  athwart  the  channel 
in  a  slightly  curved  line,  with  their  bows  pointing  to 
the  eastward,  the  brig  being  ahead,   the   schooner 


136  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

next,  and  the  brigantine  the  sternmost  of  the  line. 
Thus  moored,  their  broadsides  commanded  the 
whole  channel  in  the  direction  of  our  advance,  and 
could,  if  required,  be  concentrated  upon  any  one 
point  in  it. 

"  Hurrah ! "  shouted  Smellie,  rising  to  his  feet  and 
drawing  his  sword  ;  "  hurrah,  lads,  there  is  our 
game!  Give  way  and  go  at  them.  I'll  take  the 
brig,  Armitage ;  you  tackle  the  brigantine,  and 
leave  Williams  to  deal  with  the  schooner.  Kow 
bend  your  backs,  launches  ;  there  is  a  glass  of  grog 
all  round  waiting  for  you  if  we  are  alongside 
first" 

"  Hurroo  !  pull,  bhoys,  and  let's  shecure  that  grog 
annyhow^,"  exclaimed  the  irrepressible  Flanaghan ; 
and  with  another  cheer  and  a  hearty  laugh  the  men 
stretched  themselves  out  and  plied  the  stout  ashen 
oars  until  the  water  fairly  buzzed  again  under  the 
launch's  bows,  and  it  almost  seemed  as  though  they 
would  lift  her  bodily  out  of  the  water. 

As  for  Armitage  and  Williams,  they  were  evi- 
dently quite  determined  not  to  be  beaten  in  the  race 
if  they  could  help  it.  Both  were  on  their  feet,  their 
drawn  swords  in  their  right  hands,  pistols  in  their 
left,  and  their  bodies  bobbing  energetically  forward, 
in  approved  racing  fashion,  at  every  stroke  of  the 
oars ;  whilst  the  voice  of  first  one  and  then  the  other 
could  be  heard  encouraging  their  respective  crews 
with  such  exclamations  as : 

"  Pull  now  !  pull  hard  !  There  she  lifts !  Now 
she  travels  !     There  we  draw  ahead.      ^Yell  pulled  ; 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  1 37 

again  so,"  and  so  on,  the  men  all  the  while  straining 
at  the  oars  with  a  zeal  and  energy  which  left  in  the 
wake  of  each  boat  a  long  line  of  swirling,  foamy 
whirlpools. 

We  were  within  about  eighty  yards  of  the  slavers 
— the  launch  leading  by  a  good  half  length — when 
a  voice  on  board  the  brig  uttered  some  word  of 
command,  and  that  same  instant — crash !  came  a 
broadside  at  us,  fired  simultaneously  from  the  three 
ships.  The  guns  were  Avell  aimed,  the  shot  flying 
close  over  and  all  around  us,  tearing  and  thrashing 
up  the  placid  surface  of  the  water  about  the  boats, 
and  sprinkling  us  to  such  an  extent  that,  for  the 
moment,  we  seemed  to  be  passing  through  a  heavy 
shower ;  yet,  strange  to  say  no  damage  was  done. 

Before  the  guns  could  be  again  loaded  we  were 
alongside,  and  then  ensued — so  far  at  least  as  the 
launch  was  concerned — a  few  minutes  of  such  des- 
perate hand-to-hand  fighting  as  I  have  never  since 
witnessed.  "We  dashed  alongside  the  brig  in  the 
wake  of  her  larboard  main  rigging,  and  as  the 
boat's  side  touched  that  of  the  slaver  every  man 
dropped  his  oar,  seized  his  cutlass,  and  sprang  for 
the  main  channels.  Here,  however,  we  were  re- 
ceived so  warmly  that  it  was  found  utterly  impos- 
sible to  make  good  our  footing,  the  men  springing 
up  only  to  fall  back  again  into  the  boat  wounded 
with  pike-thrust,  pistol-bullet,  or  cutlass-gash. 
Smellie  and  I  happened  to  make  a  dash  for  the 
same  spot,  but  being  the  lighter  of  the  two  I  was 
jostled  aside  by  him  and  narrowly  avoided  tumbling 


138  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

overboard.  He  succeeded  in  gaining  a  temporary 
footing  on  the  chain-plate,  and  was  evidently  about 
to  scramble  thence  upon  the  sheer-pole,  when  I  saw 
a  pike  thrust  out  at  him  from  over  the  topgallant 
bulwarks.  The  point  struck  him  in  the  right- 
shoulder,  passing  completely  through  it ;  the  thrust 
upset  his  balance,  and  down  he  came  by  the  run 
into  the  boat.  Our  lads  meanwhile  were  cutting 
and  hacking  most  desperately  at  the  boarding  net- 
ting, endeavoring  to  make  a  passage-way  through 
it ;  but  unfortunately  they  had  emptied  their  pistols 
in  the  first  rush,  and  unable  to  reach  their  enemies 
through  the  netting,  were  completely  at  their  mercy. 
In  less  than  three  minutes  all  hands  were  back  in 
the  boat,  every  one  of  us  more  or  less  hurt,  and  no 
nearer  to  getting  on  board  than  we  had  been  before 
the  beginning  of  the  attack. 

The  cutters  had  evidently  fared  no  better,  for  they 
were  already  hauling  off,  discomfited ;  seeing  which 
Smellie,  who  seemed  scarcely  conscious  of  his  wound, 
reluctantly  gave  the  order  for  us  to  follow  their 
example,  which  we  promptly  did.  Poor  Smellie! 
I  pitied  him,  for  I  could  see  he  was  deepl}'"  mortified 
at  our  defeat. 

The  three  boats  converged  toward  each  other  as 
they  hauled  off,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  within 
speaking  distance  of  them  the  second  lieutenant 
inquired  of  Armitage  and  Williams  whether  they 
had  suffered  much. 

"  We  have  one  man  killed,  and  I  think  none  of  us 
have  escaped  quite  scot-free,"  was  Armitage's  reply ; 


WE   ATTACK   THE   SLAVERS.  1 39 

whilst  Williams  reported  that  two  of  his  men  were 
seriously  hurt  and  seven  others  slightly  wounded. 

"  "Well,"  said  Smellie,  "  it  is  evident  that  we  can  do 
nothing  with  them  unless  we  change  our  tactics. 
"We  will,  therefore,  all  three  of  us  attack  the  schooner, 
the  two  cutters  boarding  her,  one  on  each  bow, 
whilst  we  in  the  launch  will  make  a  feint  of  attack- 
ing the  brigantine,  passing  her,  however,  at  the  last 
moment,  and  boarding  the  schooner  aft.  Now — 
away  we  go  ! " 

The  boats  upon  this  were  quickly  swept  round, 
and  off  we  dashed  toward  our  respective  points  of 
attack.  "We  were  still  fully  a  hundred  yards  distant 
when  another  broadside  was  poured  into  us,  this 
time  with  very  destructive  effect  so  far  as  the  launch 
was  concerned.  "We  were  struck  by  no  less  than  five 
nine-pound  shot,  two  of  which  played  havoc  with  our 
oars  on  the  starboard  side,  a  third  tore  out  about 
twelve  feet  of  planking  and  gunwale  on  the  same 
side,  and  the  remaining  two  struck  the  boat's  stem 
close  together,  completely  demolishing  the  bows  and, 
worst  of  all,  killing  three  men. 

The  launch  was  now  a  wreck  and  sinking.  Smel- 
lie, therefore,  conceiving  it  to  be  our  best  chance, 
under  the  circumstances,  gave  orders  to  steer  straight 
for  the  schooner's  main  chains.  We  succeeded  in 
reaching  our  quarry  before  the  boat  sank,  and  that 
was  all,  the  launch  capsizing  alongside  as  we  sprang 
from  her  gunwale  to  that  of  the  schooner.  Yery 
fortunately  for  us,  the  two  cutters  had  arrived  nearly 
a  minute  before  us,  and  when  we  boarded  the  entire 


140  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

crew  of  the  schooner  was  on  her  forecastle  fully  oc- 
cupied in  the  endeavor  to  repel  their  attack.  Taking 
advantage  of  this  we  quietly  but  rapidly  slipped  in 
on  deck  through  her  open  ports  aft,  and  then  made 
a  furious  charge  forward,  attacking  the  Spaniards 
in  their  rear.  Our  presence  on  board  seemed  to  take 
them  considerably  by  surprise.  They  wavered  and 
hesitated,  but,  incited  by  a  burly  ruffian  who  forced 
his  way  through  the  crowd,  rallied  once  more  and 
attacked  us  hotly.  This  was  exactly  what  we  wanted. 
Our  fellows,  by  Smellie's  order,  contented  them- 
selves with  acting  for  the  time  being  strictly  on 
the  defensive,  giving  way  gradually  before  the  im- 
petuous attack  of  the  Spaniards,  and  drawing  them 
by  degrees  away  from  the  forecastle.  A  diversion 
was  thus  effected  in  favor  of  the  cutters'  crews,  of 
which  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves  ;  and 
in  less  than  five  minutes  after  the  attack  of  the 
launch's  crew  our  entire  party  had  gained  a  footing 
upon  the  schooner's  deck.  Even  then  the  Spanish 
crew  continued  to  fight  desperately,  inflicting  sev- 
eral very  severe  wounds  upon  our  lads,  until  at  last, 
thoroughly  roused  by  such  obstinacy,  the  blue-jackets 
made  such  a  determined  charge  that  they  cleared 
the  decks  by  actually  and  literally  driving  their 
opponents  overboard.  Not  that  this  entailed  much 
loss  upon  the  Spaniards,  howev^er,  for  they  all,  or 
very  nearly  all,  swam  either  to  the  brig  or  the 
brigantine,  where  they  were  promptly  hauled  on 
board. 

On  our  side  Smellie  lost  not  a  moment  in  availing 


WE    ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  I41 

himself  to  the  fullest  extent  of  our  partial  victory. 
He  ordered  the  cutters  to  be  dropped  under  the 
schooner's  stern,  and  whilst  this  was  being  done  the 
springs  were  veered  away  and  hauled  upon  until  the 
schooner  was  brought  broadside  on  to  her  former 
consorts,  now  her  antagonists.  This  done  our  lads 
went  to  the  guns,  double-shotted  them,  and  succeeded 
in  delivering  an  awfully  destructive  raking  broad- 
side fore  and  aft  along  the  decks  of  both  the  brig 
and  the  brigantine.  The  frightful  outcries  and  the 
confusion  which  ensued  on  board  these  craft  assured 
us  that  our  fire  had  wrought  a  tremendous  amount 
of  execution  among  the  men  crowding  their  decks  ; 
but  they  were  too  wise  to  give  us  an  opportunity  to 
repeat  the  dose.  Their  springs  were  promptly 
manned,  and  by  the  time  that  the  schooner's  bat- 
teries were  again  loaded  our  antagonists  had  brought 
their  broadsides  to  bear  upon  us. 

Once  more  was  our  double-shotted  broadside  hurled 
upon  the  foe,  and  then,  before  our  lads  had  time 
to  run-in  their  guns,  we  received  the  combined  fire  of 
the  brig  and  the  brigantine  in  return.  Through  the 
sharp  ringing  explosion  of  our  antagonists'  nine- 
pounders  we  distinctly  heard  the  crashing  of  the  shot 
through  the  schooner's  timbers,  and  then — O  God  1 
I  shall  never  forget  it — the  piercing  shrieks  and 
groans  of  mortal  agony  which  uprose  beneath  our 
feet  !  Not  a  man  of  us  upon  the  schooner's  decks 
was  injured  by  that  terrible  double  broadside ;  for 
the  Spaniards,  resolved  to  sink  the  craft,  had  de- 
pressed the  muzzles  of  their  guns  and  sent  their  shot 


142  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

tbrougli  the  schooner's  sides  just  above  the  water- 
line  on  the  one  side  and  out  through  her  bottom  on 
the  other,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  the  vesseVs  hold 
was  packed  ftdl  of  slaves.  The  slaughter  which 
resulted  among  these  unhappy  creatures,  thus  closely 
huddled  together,  I  must  leave  to  the  reader's  imag- 
ination— it  was  simply  indescribable. 

For  a  moment  all  hands  of  us  on  board  the  schooner 
were  struck  dumb  and  motionless  with  horror  at 
this  act  of  cowardice  and  wanton  barbarity  ;  then, 
with  a  yell  of  righteous  fury  our  lads  turned  again 
to  their  guns,  which  thenceforward  were  loaded  and 
fired  independently,  and  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The 
slavers  on  their  part  were  not  behindhand  in  alac- 
rity, and  presently  we  received  another  broadside 
from  the  brig,  closely  followed  by  one  from  the 
brigantine,  the  guns  being  in  both  cases  aimed  as 
before,  with  similar  murderous  results,  and  with  a 
repetition  of  those  heartrending  shrieks  of  agony  and 
despair. 

"  My  God  !  I  can't  bear  this !  "  I  heard  Smellie 
exclaim,  as  the  dying  shrieks  of  the  negroes  below 
again  pealed  out  upon  the  startled  air.  "  Mr. 
"Williams,  take  half  a  dozen  men  below  and  free 
those  unhappy  blacks.  I  don't  know  whether  I  am 
acting  prudently  or  not,  but  I  cannot  leave  them 
chained  helplessly  down  there  to  be  cut  to  pieces  by 
the  shot  of  those  Spanish  fiends.  Let  them  come  on 
deck  and  take  their  chance  with  us.  Some  of  them 
at  least  may  possibly  effect  their  escape,  either  in 
the  schooner's  boats  or  by  swimming  to  the  shore." 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  I43 

Williams  lost  no  time  in  setting  about  his  perilous 
work  of  mercy  ;  and  a  few  minutes  after  bis  disap- 
pearance down  tbe  main  batcbway  tbe  unbappy 
slaves  began  to  make  tbeir  appearance  on  deck, 
where  they  first  stared  in  terrified  wonder  about 
them,  and  then  crouched  down  helplessly  on  the  deck 
wherever  they  might  hap])en  to  find  themselves. 

In  the  mean  time  the  cannonade  Avas  kept  briskly 
up  on  both  sides,  and  presently  the  Spaniards  began 
to  pepper  us  with  musketry  in  addition.  The  bul- 
lets, fired  at  short  range,  flew  thickly  about  us  ;  and 
the  casualties  quickly  increased,  several  of  the  un- 
fortunate blacks  falling  victims  to  the  first  discharge. 
Seeing  this,  Smellie  ordered  the  schooner's  boats, 
three  in  number,  to  be  lowered  and  the  slaves  passed 
into  them.  This  was  done,  our  lads  leaving  the  guns 
for  a  few  minutes  for  the  purpose ;  but — will  it  be 
credited  ?  The  Spaniards  no  sooner  became  aware 
of  our  purpose  than  they  directed  their  fire  upon  the 
boats  and  their  hapless  occupants ;  so  that  we  were 
compelled  to  quickly  drag  the  unhappy  blacks  back 
on  board  the  schooner  again,  to  save  them  from  be- 
ing ruthlessly  slaughtered.  The  worst  of  it  was, 
that  though  Williams  had  succeeded  in  freeing  many 
of  them  from  the  heavy  chains  with  which  they 
were  secured  together  in  the  schooner's  hold,  most 
of  them  still  wore  heavy  fetters  on  their  ankles. 
These  we  now  proceeded  to  knock  off  as  fast  as  we 
could,  afterwards  pitching  the  poor  wretches  over- 
board— with  scant  ceremonv,  I  fear — to  take  their 
chances  of  being  able  to  reach  the  shore.     And  dur- 


144  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ing  all  this  the  Spaniards  never  ceased  firing  upon 
us  for  an  instant ;  so  there  we  were  in  the  midst  of 
a  perfect  hailstorm  of  round-shot  and  bullets  ;  the 
air  about  us  thick  and  suffocating  with  the  smoke 
from  the  guns,  our  only  light  the  quick  intermittent 
flashes  of  the  cannon  and  musketry ;  the  whole  at- 
mosphere vibrating  with  the  roar  and  rattle  of  the 
fusillade,  the  shouts  of  the  combatants,  and  the 
shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  dying ;  struggling  with 
the  unhappy  negroes  who,  driven  almost  frantic 
with  the  unwonted  sights  and  sounds  around  them, 
seemed  quite  unable  to  comprehend  our  intentions, 
and  resisted  to  the  utmost  our  well-meant  endeavors 
to  pass  them  over  the  ship's  side  into  the  water. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  tumult  and  confusion  we 
were  suddenly  confronted  by  an  additional  horror — 
Williams,  badly  wounded  in  the  head  by  a  splinter, 
staggering  on  deck,  closely  followed  hy  his  men, 
with  the  news  that  the  schooner  was  rapidly  sink- 
ing, and  that  it  was  impossible  to  free  any  more  of 
the  blacks. 

I  glanced  down  the  hatchway.  Merciful  Heaven  ! 
shall  I  ever  forget  the  sight  which  met  my  eyes  in 
that  brief  glimpse  !  The  intelligence  was  only  too 
literally  true.  By  the  dim  light  of  a  horn  lantern 
which  Williams  had  suspended  from  the  beams  I 
could  see  the  black  water  welling  and  bubbling 
rapidly  up  from  the  shot-holes  below,  and  the 
wretched  negroes,  still  chained  below,  surrounded 
by  the  mangled  corj^ses  of  their  companions  and  al- 
ready immersed  to    their  chins,  with  their  heads 


WE   ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  1 45 

thrown  as  far  back  as  possible  so  as  to  keep  their 
mouths  and  nostrils  free  until  the  last  possible  mo 
ment,  their  faces  contorted  and  their  eyes  protrud- 
ing from  their  sockets  with  mortal  fear. 

One  of  the  unhappy  creatures  was  a  woman — a 
mother.  Actuated  by  that  loving  and  devoted  in- 
stinct which  constrains  all  animals  to  seek  the  safety 
of  their  helpless  offspring  before  their  own,  she  had 
raised  her  infant  in  her  arms  as  high  as  possible 
above  the  surface  of  the  bubbling  water,  and  had 
fixed  her  dying  gaze  yearningly  upon  the  little  crea- 
ture's face  with  an  expression  of  despairing  love 
which  it  was  truly  pitiful  to  see.  I  could  not  bear 
it.  The  mother  was  lost — chained  as  slie  was  to  the 
submerged  deck,  nothing  could  then  save  her — but 
the  child  might  still  be  preserved.  I  sprang  down 
the  hatchway  and,  splashing  through  the  rapidly 
rising  water,  seized  the  child,  and,  as  gently  as  pos- 
sible, tried  to  disengage  it  from  the  mother's  grasp. 
The  woman  turned  her  eyes  upon  me,  looked  stead- 
fastly at  me  for  a  moment  as  though  she  would  read 
ray  very  soul,  and  then — possibly  because  she  saw 
the  flood  of  compassion  which  was  welling  up  from 
my  heart  into  my  eyes — pressed  her  child's  lips  once 
rapidly  and  convulsively  to  her  own  already  sub- 
merged mouth,  loosed  her  grasp  upon  its  body,  and 
with  a  wild  shriek  of  bitter  anguish  and  despair 
threw  herself  backwards  beneath  the  flood. 

My  heart  was  bursting  with  grief  and  indignation 
— grief  for  the  miserable  dying  wretches  around  me, 
and  indignation  at  our  utter  inability  to   prevent 


146  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

such  wholesale  human  suffering.  But  there  was 
no  time  to  lose ;  the  schooner  was  already  settling 
down  beneath  our  feet,  and  I  saw  that  it  would  very 
soon  be  "  Every  man  for  himself  and  God  for  us 
all ;  "  so  I  passed  my  charge  on  deck  and  quickly 
followed  it  m3'-self, 

I  was  just  in  time  to  see  Smellie  spinning  the 
schooner's  wheel  hard  over  to  port  and  lashing  it 
there.  Divining  in  an  instant  that  he  hoped  by  this 
maneuver  to  sheer  the  schooner  alongside  the  brig, 
I  seized  the  child  I  had  brought  up  from  below, 
dropped  it  into  one  of  our  own  boats  astern,  and  then 
stood  by  to  make  a  spring  for  the  brig  with  the  rest 
of  our  party.  Half  a  minute  more  and  the  sides  of 
the  two  ships  touched. 

"  Now,  lads,  follow  me !  Spring  for  your  lives — 
the  schooner  is  sinking !  "  I  heard  Smellie  shout ; 
and  away  we  went — Armitage  leading  one  party 
forward,  and  Smellie  showing  the  way  to  the  rest  of 
them  aft.  And,  even  as  we  made  our  spring,  the 
schooner  heeled  over  and  sank  alongside. 

We  were  met,  as  before,  by  so  stubborn  a  resist- 
ance, that  I  believe  every  one  of  us  received  some 
fresh  hurt  more  or  less  serious  before  we  actually 
reached  the  deck  of  the  brig  ;  but  our  lads  were  by 
this  time  fully  aroused — neither  boarding  nettings 
nor  anything  else  could  any  longer  restrain  them  ; 
and  in  a  few  seconds  though  more  than  one  poor 
fellow  fell  back  dead,  we  were  in  possession  of  the 
brig,  the  crew,  in  obedience  to  an  order  from  their 
captain,  suddenly  flinging  down  their  weapons  and 


WE    ATTACK   THE    SLAVERS.  I47 

tumbling  headlong  into  their  boats,  which  for  some 
reason — a  reason  we  were  soon  to  learn — they  had 
lowered  into  the  water. 

To  our  surprise  our  antagonists,  instead  of  taking 
refuge  on  board  the  brigantine,  as  we  fully  expected 
they  would,  took  to  their  oars  and  pulled  in  frantic 
haste  up  the  creek.  In  the  dense  darkness  which 
now  ensued  consequent  upon  the  cessation  of  firing 
it  was  impossible  to  send  a  shot  after  them  with  any 
chance  of  success ;  and  so  they  were  allowed  to  go 
free. 

The  hot  pungent  fumes  which  arose  through  the 
grating  of  the  brig's  main  hatchway  very  convinc- 
ingly testified  to  the  presence  of  slaves  on  board 
that  craft  also  ;  and,  warned  by  his  recent  experi- 
ence on  board  the  schooner,  Smellie  resolved  to  warp 
the  brig  in  alongside  the  bank  and  land  the  unfor- 
tunate creatures  before  resuming  hostilities.  A  gang 
of  men  was  accordingly  sent  forward  to  clear  away 
the  necessary  warps  and  so  on  ;  and  I  was  directed 
to  go  with  a  boat's  crew  into  one  of  the  cutters  to 
run  the  ends  of  the  warps  on  shore. 

The  boats,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  passed 
astern  of  the  schooner,  and  there  they  still  remained 
uninjured,  that  craft  having  settled  down  in  water 
so  shallow  that  her  deck  was  only  submerged  to  a 
depth  of  about  eighteen  inches.  In  order  to  reach 
either  side  of  the  boats,  however,  it  was  necessary  to 
pass  along  the  deck  of  the  sunken  craft ;  and  I  was  just 
climbing  down  the  brig's  side  to  do  so — the  men 
having  preceded  me — when  the  bulwarks  to  which 


148  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

I  was  clinging  suddenly  burst  outward,  the  brig's 
hull  was  rent  open  by  a  tremendous  explosion,  and, 
enveloped  for  an  instant  in  a  sheet  of  blinding  flame, 
I  felt  myself  whirled  upwards  and  outwards  for 
a  considerable  distance,  to  fall  finally,  stunned, 
scorched  and  half-blinded,  into  the  agitated  waters 
of  the  creek.  Moved  more  by  instinct  than  any- 
thing else  I  at  once  struck  out  mechanically  for  the 
shore.  It  was  at  no  great  distance  from  me,  and  I 
had  almost  reached  it  when  some  object — probably 
a  piece  of  falling  wreckage  from  the  dismembered 
brig — struck  me  a  violent  blow  on  the  back  of  the 
head,  and  I  knew  no  more. 


DOOMED   TO   THE    TORTURE.  I49 


CHAPTEE  IX. 


DOOMED  TO  THE  TOKTURE. 


Consciousness  at  length  began,  slowly  and  with 
seemhig  reluctance,  to  return  to  me ;  and  so  exceed- 
ingly disagreeable  was  the  process,  that  if  I  could 
have  had  my  own  way  just  then,  I  think  I  should 
have  preferred  to  die.  My  first  sensation  was  that 
of  excessive  stiffness  in  every  part  of  my  body,  with 
distracting  headache.  Then,  as  my  nerves  more 
full}^  recovered  their  functions,  ensued  a  burning 
fever  which  scorched  my  body  and  sent  the  blood 
rushing  through  my  throbbing  veins  like  a  torrent 
of  molten  metal.  And  finally,  as  I  made  an  unsuc- 
cessful effort  to  move,  I  became  aware,  first  of  all 
by  sundry  sharp  smarting  sensations,  that  I  had 
been  wounded  in  three  or  four  places ;  and  secondly, 
by  a  feeling  of  severe  compression  about  the  wa^ists 
and  ankles,  that  I  was  bound — a  prisoner ! 

With  complete  restoration  to  consciousness  my 
sufferings  rapidly  grew  more  acute ;  and  at  length, 
with  a  groan  of  exquisite  agony,  I  opened  my  eyes 
and  looked  about  me. 

"Where  was  I  ? 

Somewhere  on  shore,  evidently. 

Overhead  was  the  deep  brilliantly  blue  sky,  with 


1 50  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  sun,  almost  in  the  zenith,  darting  his  burning 
beams  directly  down  upon  my  uncovered  head  and 
my  upturned  face.  Turning  my  head  aside  to 
escape  the  dazzling  brightness  which  smote  upon  my 
aching  eyeballs  with  a  sensation  of  positive  torture, 
I  discovered  that  I  Avas  lying  in  about  the  center  of 
an  extensive  forest  clearing  of  nearly  circular  shape 
and  about  five  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  hemmed 
in  on  all  sides  by  a  dense  growth  of  jungle  and 
forest  trees,  and  carpeted  thickly  with  short  verdant 
grass. 

ISTear  me  lay  the  apparently  inanimate  body  of 
poor  Mr.  Smellie,  bound  hand  and  foot,  like  myself ; 
and  dotted  about  here  and  there  on  the  grass,  mostly 
in  a  sitting  posture  and  also  bound,  were  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  negroes,  who,  from  their  wretched  plight, 
I  conjectured  to  be  survivors  from  the  sunken  slave 
schooner.  Turning  my  head  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion I  discovered  at  a  few  yards  distance  a  party  of 
negroes,  some  fifty  in  number,  much  finer-looking 
and  more  athletic  men  than  those  in  bonds  round 
about  me,  w^ho,  from  the  weapons  they  bore,  I  at 
once  concluded  to  be  our  captors.  This  surmise  was 
soon  afterwards  proved  to  be  correct ;  for,  upon  the 
completion  of  the  meal  which  they  were  busily  dis- 
cussing w^hen  I  first  made  them  out,  they  approached 
us,  and  with  sufficiently  significant  gestures  gave 
us  to  understand  that  we  must  rise  and  march. 

The  captive  blacks  rose  to  their  feet  stolidly  and 
and  without  any  apparent  difficulty  ;  but  so  far  as  I 
was  concerned  this  was  an  impossibility,  my  feet  as 


DOOMED   TO   THE    TORTURE.  151 

well  as  my  hands  being  secured.  One  great  hulking 
black  fellow,  noticing  that  neither  Smellie  nor  I 
showed  any  signs  of  obedience,  deliberately  pro- 
ceeded to  prod  us  here  and  there  with  the  point  of 
his  spear.  Upon  Smellie  these  delicate  attentions 
produced  no  effect  whatever,  he  evidently  being 
either  dead  or  insensible ;  but  they  aroused  in  me  a 
very  lively  feeling  of  indignation,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  which  I  launched  such  a  vigorous  kick  at 
the  unreasonable  darky's  shins  as  made  him  howl 
with  pain  and  sent  him  hopping  out  of  range  in 
double-quick  time — a  proceeding  which  raised  a 
hearty  laugh  at  his  expense  among  his  companions. 
A  moment  later,  however,  he  returned,  his  eyes 
sparkling  with  rage,  and  would  have  transfixed  me 
with  the  light  javelin  he  carried  had  not  another  of 
the  party  interfered.  By  the  order  of  this  last  in- 
dividual Smellie  and  I  were  presently  raised  from 
the  ground,  and  each  borne  by  two  men,  were 
carried  off  in  the  rear  of  the  column  of  captive 
blacks,  our  captors  taking  up  such  positions  along 
the  line  on  either  side  as  effectually  precluded  all 
possibility  of  escape. 

Passing  across  the  open  space,  we  presently 
plunged  into  the  jungle,  traversing  a  bush-path  just 
wide  enough  to  allow  of  two  men  walking  abreast. 
I  had  not  much  opportunity,  however,  for  noting 
any  of  the  incidents  of  our  journey,  for,  owing  to 
the  clumsy  way  in  which  I  was  being  carried,  my 
wounds  burst  open  afresh,  and  I  soon  fainted  from 
loss  of  blood. 


152  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

When  next  I  recovered  consciousness  I  found  that 
we  were  afloat,  no  doubt  on  the  river,  though  I  had 
no  means  of  ascertaining  this  for  certain,  as  I  was 
lying  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  could  see  noth- 
ing but  blue  sky  beyond  either  of  the  gunwales. 
Sraellie  was  lying  beside  me,  and,  to  my  great  joy, 
I  found  that  he  was  not  only  alive  but  a  great  deal 
better  than  I  could  have  thought  possible  after  wit- 
nessing his  former  desperate  condition.  Of  course 
we  at  once  exchanged  congratulations  each  at  the 
other's  escape  ;  and  then  began  to  compare  notes. 
My  companion  in  misfortune  had,  it  seemed,  just 
started  to  go  forward  when  the  explosion  occurred 
on  board  the  brig ;  the  shock  had  rendered  him 
unconscious,  and  when  he  recovered  he  found  him- 
self on  board  the  canoe  with  me  beside  him.  Poor 
fellow !  he  was  in  a  sad  plight.  He  was  severely 
wounded  in  no  less  than  four  different  parts  of  his 
body  ;  his  face  and  hands  were  badly  scorched  ;  his 
clothing — about  which  he  was  always  very  partic- 
ular— hung  upon  him  in  tatters  ;  and  lastly,  he  was 
greatly  distressed  in  mind  at  the  disastrous  failure 
of  the  expedition,  at  the  fearfully  heavy  casualties 
which  Ave  knew  had  befallen  the  attacking  party, 
and  at  the  extreme  probability  that  those  casualties 
had  been  very  largely  increased  by  the  blowing  up 
of  the  brig.  I  said  what  I  could  to  comfort  him, 
but,  alas !  that  was  not  much ;  and  it  was  a  relief  to 
us  both  to  change  the  subject,  even  though  we 
naturally  turned  at  once  to  the  discussion  of  our  own 
problematical  future, 


DOOMED    TO   THE   TORTURE.  153 

The  craft  in  which  we  found  ourselves  was  a  war- 
canoe,  about  sixty  feet  long  and  five  feet  beam, 
manned  by  about  forty  of  our  captors,  who  sat  two 
abreast  close  to  the  gunwales,  paddling  vigorously  ; 
the  negro  prisoners,  as  well  as  ourselves,  being  stowed 
along  the  middle  of  the  canoe,  fore  and  aft.  A  fresh 
fair  breeze  was  blowing,  and  full  advantage  was 
being  taken  of  this  circumstance,  a  huge  mat  sail 
being  hoisted  on  the  craft  which  must  inevital)ly 
have  capsized  her  had  it  happened  to  jibe.  From 
the  sharp  rushing  sound  of  the  water  along  the  sides 
and  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  the  swift  strokes  of  the 
paddles,  I  judged  that  we  must  be  traveling  through 
the  water  at  a  rapid  rate,  a  conjecture  the  truth  of 
which  Avas  afterwards  very  disagreeably  verified. 

We  sped  on  thus  until  sunset,  when  the  sail  was 
suddenly  lowered  and  with  loud  shouts,  which  were 
re-echoed  from  the  shore,  the  canoe's  course  was 
altered,  the  craft  grounding  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards on  a  beach  where  all  hands  of  us  landed. 

Smellie  and  I  were  by  this  time  quite  able  to  walk, 
but  before  we  could  set  foot  to  the  ground  a  couple 
of  stalwart  blacks  were  told  olf  to  each  of  us,  and 
we  were  carried  along  as  before.  On  this  occasion, 
however,  our  journey  was  but  a  short  one,  not  more, 
perhaps,  than  five  or  six  hundred  yards  altogether. 
Arrived,  apparently,  at  our  destination,  we  were  set 
down,  and  immediately  bound  with  U'uiiios  or  mon- 
key-rope to  the  bole  of  a  huge  tree.  Looking  about 
us,  we  discovered  that  we  were  in  a  native  village  of 
considerable  size,  built  in  a  semicircular  shape,  hav- 


154  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ing  in  its  center  a  structure  of  considerable  architec- 
tural pretensions  in  a  barbaric  sort  of  way,  which 
structure  we  conjectured — from  the  presence  of  a 
hideous  idol  in  front  of  it — must  be  a  sort  of  temple. 
Looking  about  us  still  further,  we  noticed  that  the 
remainder  of  the  prisoners  were  being  bound  to  trees 
like  ourselves.  There  was  a  peculiarity  about  the 
disposition  of  the  prisoners  which  I  certainly  did  not 
like ;  there  might  be  no  motive  for  it ;  but  it  struck  me 
that  our  being  ranged  in  a  semicircle  in  front  of  this 
idol  had  a  rather  sinister  appearance. 

Having  secured  tlie  prisoners  to  their  satisfaction, 
our  captors  left  us ;  and  we  were  speedily  surrounded 
by  a  curious  crowd  consisting  chiefly  of  women  and 
children,  who  came  and  stared  persistently  with  open- 
mouthed  curiosity  at  the  captives,  and  especially  at 
Smellie  and  myself,  greatly  attracted  by  the  appar- 
ently novel  sight  of  our  white  skins.  The  old  women 
were,  for  the  most  part,  hideously  ugly,  wrinkled, 
and  bent,  their  grizzled  wool  plastered  with  grease 
and  dirt,  and  their  bodies  positively  encriistecl  with 
filth.  The  young  women,  on  the  other  hand — those, 
that  is  to  say,  whose  ages  seemed  to  range  between 
thirteen  and  sixteen  or  seventeen — were  by  no 
means  destitute  of  personal  attractions,  which — to 
do  them  justice — they  exhibited  with  the  most  bound- 
less liberality.  They  were  all  possessed  of  plump 
well-made  figures ;  their  limbs  were,  in  many  cases, 
very  finely  moulded  ;  they  had  an  upright,  grace- 
ful carriage  ;  the  expression  of  their  features  was 
amiable  and  gentle ;    and,   notwithstanding   their 


DOOMED  TO  THE  TORTURE.      155 

rather  prominent  lips,  a  few  of  them  were  actually 
pretty. 

One  of  these  damsels,  a  perfect  little  sable  Hebe, 
seemed  to  be  greatly  attracted  by  us,  walking  round 
and  round  the  tree  to  which  we  were  secured — first 
at  a  respectful  distance,  and  then  nearer  and  nearer. 
Finally,  after  studjang  our  countenances  intently  for 
nearly  a  minute,  she  boldly  approached  and  laid 
her  finger  upon  my  cheek,  apparently  to  ascertain 
whether  or  no  it  was  genuine  flesh  and  blood.  Satis- 
fied that  it  was  so,  she  backed  off  to  take  another 
look  at  us,  and  I  thought  an  expression  of  pity  over- 
spread her  face.  Finally  she  addressed  us.  We  were, 
of  course,  quite  unable  to  understand  the  words  she 
uttered,  but  her  actions,  graceful  as  they  were, 
were  significant  enough  ;  she  was  evidently  asking 
whether  we  were  hungry  or  thirsty.  To  this  inquiry 
Smellie  nodded  a  prompt  affirmative,  which  I  backed 
up  with  the  single  word  "  Rather^''  uttered  so  expres- 
sively that  I  am  certain  she  quite  understood  me. 
At  all  events,  she  tripped  lightly  away,  returning  in 
a  few  minutes  with  a  small  finely-woven  basket  con- 
taining about  two  quarts  of  fresh  palm-juice,  which 
she  presented  first  to  Smellie's  lips,  and  then  to  mine. 
Need  I  say  that,  between  us,  we  emptied  it?  Our 
hostess  laughed  gayly  as  she  glanced  at  the  empty 
basket,  evidently  pleased  at  the  success  of  her  at- 
tempt to  converse  with  us;  and  then,  with  a  reas- 
suring word  or  two,  she  tripped  away  again,  only 
to  return,  however,  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later, 
with  the  same  basket,  filled  this  time  with  a  kind  of 


156  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

porridge,  which,  though  not  particularly  tasty,  was 
acceptable  enough  after  our  long  fast.  This,  our 
fair,  or  rather  our  darli  friend  administered  to  us 
alternately  by  means  of  a  flat  wooden  spatula.  This 
feeding  process  had  not  passed,  it  need  hardly  be 
said,  unobserved ;  and  by  the  time  that  our  meal 
was  concluded  quite  a  large  audience  of  women  had 
gathered  round  to  witness  the  performance.  The 
animated  jabber  and  hearty  ringing  laughter  of 
several  of  the  younger  women,  and  the  somewhat 
abashed  yet  pleased  expression  of  our  own  particular 
friend  seemed  to  indicate  that  hadinage  was  not 
altoofether  unknown,  even  in  this  obscure  African 
village.  But  everything  of  that  kind  was  brought 
abruptly  to  an  end  by  a  loud  discordant  blowing  of 
horns  and  the  hollow  tuh,  tub,  tub  of  a  number  of 
rude  drums ;  at  which  sounds  the  crowd  around  us 
broke  up  at  once  and  retired,  our  little  Hebe  casting 
back  at  us  more  than  one  glance  strongly  indicative, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  of  compassion. 

A  fire  had  been  kindled  in  front  of  the  idol,  or 
fetish,  during  the  feeding  process  above  referred  to, 
and  now  that  the  curious  crowd  of  women  and  girls 
who  then  surrounded  us  had  retired,  we  were  able  to 
see  a  little  more  of  what  was  going  on.  The  horn- 
blowing  and  drum-beating  emanated  from  a  group 
of  entirely  naked  savages  who  were  marching  in  a 
kind  of  procession  round  the  idol.  This  ceremony 
lasted  about  ten  minutes,  when  another  negro  made 
his  appearance  upon  the  scene,  emerging  from  the 
temple,  if  such  it  actually  was,  bearing  in  his  hands 


DOOMED   TO   THE    TORTURE.  157 

a  queer-looking  construction,  the  nature  of  which  I 
was  at  first  unable  to  distinguish.  After  marching 
solemnly  round  the  idol  three  times  this  individual 
seated  himself,  tailor  fashion,  before  it,  laid  the  in- 
strument on  his  knees,  and  began  to  hammer 
upon  it  with  a  couple  of  sticks ;  whereupon  we 
became  aware  that  he  was  playing  upon  a  rude 
imitation  of  a  child's  harmonicon,  the  keys  of  which 
appeared  to  be  constructed  of  hard  wood,  out  of 
which  he  managed  to  beat  a  very  fair  specimen  of 
barbaric  music.  This  music  seemed  to  be  the  over- 
ture to  some  impending  entertainment ;  for  upon 
the  sound  of  the  first  notes  the  inhabitants  began  to 
pour  out  of  their  huts  and  to  gather  in  a  promiscu- 
ous crowd  round  the  giant  tree-stump  upon  which 
the  hideous  fetish  was  mounted.  When  the  gather- 
ing was  apparently  complete  the  music  ceased,  the 
drumming  and  horn-blowing  burst  out  afresh,  and 
the  crowd  immediately  divided  into  two  sections, 
the  smaller,  and  I  presume  the  more  select  division 
squatting  on  the  ground  in  a  semicircle  in  front  of 
the  image,  whilst  the  remainder  of  the  inhabitants 
ranged  themselves  into  two  quadrants  about  thirty 
feet  apart,  one  on  each  side  and  in  front  of  their 
deity.  Through  this  open  space  between  the  two 
quadrants  it  appeared  probable  that  we  should  ob- 
tain a  very  good,  if  rather  distant  view  of  the  cere- 
monies which  were  evidently  about  to  take  place. 

The  audience  having  arranged  themselves  in  posi- 
tion, the  horn-blowing  ceased,  and  the  musicians 
stepped  inside  the  inner  circle  and  seated  themselves 


158  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

to  the  right  and  left  of  the  fetish.  A  pause  of  per- 
haps a  couple  of  minutes  ensued,  and  then  horns, 
drums,  and  harmonicon  suddenly  burst  out  with  a 
loud  confused  fantasia,  each  man  apparently  doing 
his  utmost  to  drown  the  noise  of  the  others.  Louder 
and  louder  blared  the  horns  ;  the  drummers  pounded 
upon  their  long  narrow  drums  until  it  seemed  as 
though  at  every  stroke  the  drum-heads  must  inev- 
itably be  beaten  in ;  whilst  the  harmonicon-man 
hammered  away  at  his  instrument  with  a  vigor  and 
rapidity  which  must  have  been  truly  gratifying  to 
his  friends. 

In  the  midst  of  this  wild  hullabaloo  a  blood- 
curdling yell  rang  out  upon  the  still  night  air,  and 
from  the  open  door  of  the  temple  or  fetish-house 
there  rebounded  into  the  inner  circle  a  most  extraor- 
dinary figure,  clad  from  head  to  heel  in  monkey 
skins,  his  head  adorned  with  a  coronet  of  beads  and 
feathers,  a  bead  necklace  round  his  neck,  a  living 
snake  encircling  his  waist  as  a  girdle,  and  bearing  in 
his  hand  a  red  and  black  wand  about  four  feet  long. 

Upon  the  appearance  of  this  individual  the  uproar 
suddenly  ceased,  then  the  maestro  who  presided  at 
the  harmonicon  struck  up  a  low  accompaniment, 
and  the  last  comer  burst  into  a  subdued  monotonous 
chant,  pointing  and  gesticulating  from  time  to  time 
with  his  wand. 

I  watched  the  proceedings  with  a  great  deal  of 
interest,  and  was  beginning  to  wonder  what  would 
happen  next,  when  Smellie  turned  to  me  and  quietly 
asked, 


DOOMED   TO   THE    TORTURE.  159 

"  Mr.  Hawkesley,  do  you  ever  say  your  prayers  ? " 

"  Sir  ? "  I  ejaculated  in  unutterable  surprise  at  so 
impertinent  a  question,  as  it  seemed  to  me. 

"  I  asked  whether  you  ever  said  your  prayers :  I 
ought  to  have  said,  rather,  do  you  ever  pray  ?  There 
is  often  a  very  great  difference  between  the  two 
acts,"  he  returned  quietly. 

"Well — ah — yes — that  is — certainly,  sir,  I  do," 
stammered  I. 

"  Then,"  said  Smellie,  "  let  me  recommend  you  to 
pray  now — to  pray  with  all  the  earnestness  and  sin- 
cerity of  w^hich  you  are  capable.  Make  your  peace 
with  God,  if  you  have  not  already  done  so,  whilst 
you  have  the  opportunity,  for,  unless  I  am  very 
greatly  mistaken,  it  is  our  doom  to  die  to-night.''^ 

I  was  so  shocked,  so  completely  knocked  off  my 
balance,  by  this  unlooked-for  communication  that, 
for  the  moment,  I  lost  all  power  of  speech,  my 
tongue  clave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  and  I  could 
only  stare  at  my  fellow-prisoner  in  horrified  incre- 
dulity. 

"  My  poor  boy,"  he  said  compassionately,  "  I  am 
afraid  I  have  spoken  to  you  too  abruptly.  I  ought 
to  have  prepared  you  gradually  for  so  momentous  a 
piece  of  intelligence,  to  have  hpoJcen  the  news  to  3'ou. 
But,  there,  what  matters  ?  You  are  a  plucky  lad, 
Hawkesley — your  conduct  last  night  abundantly 
proved  that — and  I  am  sure  that,  if  the  occasion 
should  come,  you  will  stand  up  and  face  death  in 
the  presence  of  these  savages  as  an  Englishman 
should;   I   am  not  afraid  of  that.     But,  my  dear 


l6o  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

boy,  are  you  prepared  to  die?  Are  you  in  a  fit 
state  to  meet  your  God  ?  You  are  very  young, 
quite  a  lad,  in  fact,  and  a  good  lad  too  ;  you  cannot 
yet  have  erred  very  grievously.  Thoughtless,  care- 
less, indifferent  you  may  have  been,  but  your  con- 
science can  hardly  charge  you  with  any  very  serious 
offense,  I  should  think ;  and  you  may  therefore  well 
hope  for  pardon  and  mercy.  Seek  both  at  once,  my 
dear  boy." 

"  But — Mr.  Smellie — I — I  don't  understand ;  you 
don't  appear  to  be  afraid  or — or  disturbed  at — the 
near  prospect  of  death." 

"No,"  he  replied,  raising  his  eyes  heavenward  for 
a  moment ;  "  no,  thank  God,  I  am  not  afraid.  My 
mother — "  his  lips  quivered,  his  voice  faltered  and 
almost  broke  for  an  instant,  and  by  the  red  glare  of 
the  fire  I  saw  the  tears  well  up  into  his  eyes  as  he 
spoke  that  revered  name.  But  he  steadied  himself 
again  directly,  and  went  on — "  my  dear  mother 
taught  me  to  be  ready  for  death  at  any  moment ; 
taught  me  so  lovingly  and  so  thoroughly  that  I  can 
regard  with  perfect  calmness  to-night,  as  I  have 
a  score  of  times  before,  the  approach  of  the  Last 
Enemy.  But  let  us  not  waste  the  precious  moments 
in  conversation.  Time  soon  will  be  for  us  no  more ; 
and — ah  !  see,  there  comes  the  vile  high-priest  of  a 
loathsome  idolatry  to  claim  his  first  victim.  Should 
you  by  any  chance  escape  tlie  coming  horrors  of 
this  night,  Hawkesley,  and  live  to  reach  England 
once  more,  seek  out  my  mother — Austin  \nSSS.  instruct 
you  as  to  where  she  may  be  found — and  tell  her 


DOOMED  TO  THE  TORTURE.      l6l 

that  lier  son  died  as  she  would  wish  him  to  die,  a 
sincere  Christian.  I  am  to  be  the  first  victim  it 
would  appear.  Farewell,  my  dear  boy !  God  bless 
you,  and  grant  us  a  hap]\y  meeting  at  His  right 
hand  on  the  last  Great  Day  !  " 

I  strove  in  vain  to  reply  to  his  solemnly  affection- 
ate farewell.  I  wanted  to  let  him  know  how  in- 
expressibly precious  to  me  w^ere  the  few  words  of 
exhortation  and  encouragement  he  had  spoken ;  to 
say  were  it  only  a  single  word  to  cheer  his  last 
moments  wnth  the  assurance  that  he  had  not  spoken 
in  vain  ;  but  my  emotion  was  too  great.  I  felt  that 
in  the  effort  to  speak  I  should  inevitably  burst  into 
tears,  and  so,  perhaps,  unman  him  and  disgrace  him 
and  m^T^self  in  the  eyes  of  these  inhuman  savages. 
So,  perforce,  I  held  my  peace,  and  w^atched  with  a 
wildly-beating  heart  to  see  how  a  brave  man  should 
die. 

In  the   meantime   the  fetishman  had  concluded 

his  chant,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  breathless  silence 

on  the  part  of  his  audience,  stood  looking  intently 

round  the  circle  at  the  group  of  prisoners  secured  to 

the  trees.     He  glanced  keenly  at  each  of  us  in  turn, 

and  at  length  pointed  his  Avand  straight  at  Smellie. 

It  was  this  action  which  caused  the  second  lieutenant 

to  announce  to  me  his  belief  that  it  was  he  who  was 

to  be  the  first  victim  of  the  impending  sacrificial 

ceremony.     Keeping  his  wand  pointed  directly  at 

my  companion,  the  uncouth  figure  slowly  and  with 

a  quite  indescribable  undulatory  dancing  motion, 

advanced  toward  our  tree,  the  crowd  hastily  making 
II 


1 62  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

way  for  him,  and  four  members  of  the  inner  circle 
rising  to  their  feet  and  following  him  at  a  touch 
from  his  finger. 

Overcoming  by  a  strong  effort  the  horrible  fascina- 
tion which  this  loathsome  wretch  exercised  over  me, 
I  turned  to  look  at  my  companion. 

He  seemed  to  be  utterly  unconscious  of  his  surround- 
ings. His  eyes  were  raised  to  heaven,  his  lips  moved 
from  time  to  time,  and  it  was  manifest  that  he  was 
holding  the  most  solemn  and  momentous  communion 
which  it  is  possible  for  man  to  hold  even  with  his 
Maker.  Pale,  haggard,  and  worn  with  mental  and 
physical  suffering,  his  crisp  brown  curly  hair  stiff  and 
matted  with  blood,  his  face  streaked  with  ensan- 
guined stains,  and  his  scorched  clothing  hanging 
about  him  in  blood-stained  rags,  I  nevertheless 
thought  it  would  be  difficult  to  picture  a  more  per- 
fect embodiment  of  a  good,  noble  and  brave  man. 

Slowly  and  sinuously,  like  a  serpent  stealing  upon 
his  prey,  the  fetish-man  or  witch-doctor  advanced 
until  he  stood  within  a  yard  of  his  intended  victim, 
with  the  fatal  wand  still  pointing  straight  at  Smellie's 
breast.  He  stood  thus  for  a  full  minute  or  more, 
seemingly  striving  to  wring  from  the  bound  and 
helpless  prisoner  some  sign  of  panic  or  at  least  of  dis- 
composure. In  vain.  His  last  most  solemn  act  of 
duty  done,  Smellie  at  length  turned  his  eyes  upon 
those  of  his  enemy,  regarding  him  with  a  gaze  so 
calmly  steadfast,  so  palpably  devoid  of  fear,  that 
the  savage,  mortified  at  his  utter  failure,  suddenly, 
with  an  exclamation  unmistakably  indicative  of  rage 


DOOMED   TO   THE   TORTURE.  163 

and  chagrin,  dropped  the  point  of  his  wand,  to 
raise  it  again  instantly  and  direct  it  toward  my 
breast. 

But  the  cool  intrepidity  which  I  had  just  witnessed 
was  contagious ;  in  my  sublime  admiration  of  it  my 
soul  soared  far  above  and  beyond  the  reach  of  so 
debasing  a  feeling  as  fear,  and  in  my  turn  I  met  the 
cruel  sinister  gaze  of  the  crafty  savage  w^ith  one  as 
calm  as  Smellie's  own. 

For  perhaps  a  full  minute — it  may  have  been  more, 
it  may  have  been  less ;  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  the 
lapse  of  time  under  such  trying  circumstances — the 
fetish-man  did  his  best  to  disconcert  me ;  then,  baffled 
once  more,  with  a  furious  and  threatening  gesture 
he  passed  on  to  the  next  prisoner. 

"  We  are  reprieved  for  the  time  being,"  said  Smellie, 
as  the  gesticulating  Avitch-doctor  and  his  myrmidons 
passed  on,  "  but  only  to  become  the  victims  of  a  more 
refined  and  protracted  torture  at  last.  Having  failed 
to  exhibit  any  signs  of  fear  in  the  first  instant  we 
are  spared  to  witness  the  cumulative  sufferings  of 
those  who  are  to  precede  us,  in  order  that  by  the 
sight  of  their  exquisite  torments  our  courage  may  be 
quelled  by  the  anticipation  of  our  own.  I  imagine, 
from  what  I  have  read  of  the  customs  of  this  people, 
that  we  are  about  to  witness  and  become  participants 
in  a  ceremony  undertaken  to  avert  or  remove  some 
great  calamity — a  ceremony  involving  the  sacrifice 
of  many  victims,  each  of  whom  is  put  to  death  with 
more  refined  barbarity  than  tliat  dealt  out  to  the 
victim  preceding  him.     Ah !   see  there  a  worthy 


164  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

victim  has  at  last  been  found  with  which  to  begin 
the  sacrifice." 

I  looked  in  the  direction  his  eyes  indicated,  and, 
sure  enough,  the  light  but  fatal  stroke  with  the  wand 
was  just  in  the  act  of  being  struck  upon  the  naked 
breast  of  one  of  the  negro  prisoners.  As  the  blow  fell 
a  loud  shriek  of  despair  rang  out  from  the  lips  of  the 
wretched  man,  the  fetish-man's  four  assistants  sprang 
upon  their  prey,  his  bonds  were  cut,  and  in  another 
moment  he  was  dragged,  struggling  desperately  and 
shrieking  with  mortal  fear,  into  the  inner  circle  and 
up  to  the  broad  tree-stump  which  supported  the 
fetish  or  idol. 

In  the  mean  time  the  fire  had  been  bountifully  re- 
plenished with  wood  and  now  blazed  up  fiercely. 
By  its  ruddy  light  I  saw  the  fetish-man  retire  to  the 
interior  of  the  temple  or  fetish -house,  to  appear 
immediately  afterwards  with  a  rude  stone  hammer 
in  one  hand,  and  what  looked  like  four  or  five  large 
spike-nails  in  the  other.  He  stood  for  a  moment 
gloating  over  the  agonized  countenance  of  his  victim, 
and  then  nodded  his  head.  At  the  signal  his  four 
assistants  seized  their  prisoner,  and,  despite  his  ter- 
rible struggles,  ra]3idly  placed  him  head  dow^nwards 
with  his  back  against  the  tree-stump,  and  his  limbs 
extended  as  far  as  they  would  go  round  it,  when  the 
fetish-man  proceeded  with  cruel  deliberation  to  se- 
cure him  in  position  by  nailing  him  there,  the  spikes 
taken  from  the  fetish-house  being  used  for  the 
purpose. 

The  horns,  drums,  and  harraonicon  now  broke  forth 


DOOMED   TO   THE    TORTURE.  165 

afresh  into  a  hideous  clamor,  which,  however,  was 
powerless  to  drown  the  dismal  shrieks  of  the  victim  ; 
and  the  fetish  man,  arming  himself  with  a  large 
broad-bladed  and  most  murderous-looking  knife, 
began  to  dance  slowly,  with  most  extraordinary  con- 
tortions of  visage  and  body,  round  the  idol.  Gradual- 
ly his  gyrations  grew  more  rapid,  his  gestures  more 
extravagant ;  the  knife  was  flourished  in  the  air  in 
an  increasingly  threatening  manner,  and  at  length, 
as  the  weird  dancer  whirled  rapidly  round  the  tree- 
stump,  the  weapon  was  at  each  revolution  plunged 
ruthlessly  into  the  writhing  body  of  the  hapless 
victim,  the  utmost  care  being  taken,  I  noticed,  to 
avoid  any  vital  part.  Finally,  when  the  dancer  had 
apparently  danced  himself  into  a  frenzy — when  his 
gyrations  had  become  so  rapid  that  it  almost  made 
me  giddy  to  look  at  him,  and  when  his  contortions  of 
body  grew  so  extravagant  that  it  was  difficult  to  say 
whether  he  was  dancing  on  his  head  or  on  his  heels 
— there  flashed  a  sudden  lightning-like  gleam  of  the 
knife,  and  the  head  of  the  miserable  victim  fell  to 
the  ground,  to  be  snatched  up  instantlv  and,  with 
still  twitching  features,  nailed  between  the  feet  of 
the  body. 

A  loud  murmur  of  applause  from  the  spectators 
greeted  this  effort  of  the  fetish-man,  in  the  midst  of 
which  he  retired  for  a  few  minutes  to  the  interior 
of  the  fetish-house,  probably  to  recruit  his  somewhat 
exhausted  energies. 


1 66  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

A   FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL. 

"  !N"ow,"  said  Smellie  as  he  turned  once  more  to 
me,  "  we  shall  probably  be  again  threatened  on  the 
reappearance  of  that  bloodthirsty  villain.  But 
whatever  you  do,  Hawkesley,  maintain  a  bold  front; 
let  him  see  no  sign  or  trace  whatever  of  weakness 
or  discomposure  in  you.  The  fellow's  thirst  for 
blood  is  by  this  time  fully  aroused,  and  every  suc- 
ceeding victim  will  be  subjected  to  greater  refine- 
ments of  torture ;  all  that  diabolical  scoundrel's 
fiendish  ingenuity  will  now  be  exercised  to  devise 
for  his  victims  increasingh^  atrocious  and  protracted 
agonies.  There  is  one,  and  only  one  hope  for  us, 
which  is  that  bv  a  persistent  refusal  to  be  terrorized 
by  him,  and  a  judiciously  scornful  demeanor,  we 
may  at  last  exasperate  him  out  of  his  self-control, 
and  thus  provoke  him  into  inflicting  upon  us  the 
Goup-de-grace  at  once  and  without  any  of  the  prelimi- 
nary torments.  Here  he  comes  again.  IS'ow,  for 
your  own  sake,  dear  lad,  remember  and  act  upon  my 
advice." 

The  first  act  of  the  wretch  was  to  despatch  his 
four  assistants  into  the  forest,  whence  they  returned 


A   FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  167 

in  a  short  time  with  three  long  slender  poles  and  a 
considerable  quantity  of  creeper  or  monkey-rope. 
With  these,  under  the  fetish-man's  superintendence, 
a  very  tolerable  set  of  light  shears  was  speedily  con- 
structed, which,  when  finished,  was  erected  immedi- 
ately over  the  fire — now  an  immense  mass  of  glow- 
ing smokeless  cinders — in  front  of  the  idol.  The 
entire  arrangement  was  so  unmistakably  suggestive 
that  I  could  not  restrain  a  violent  shudder  as  it  oc- 
curred to  me  that  it  might  possibly  be  my  fate  to 
be  subjected  to  the  fiery  torment. 

All  being  ready,  a  dead  silence  once  more  fell 
upon  the  assembly,  and  the  chief  actor  in  the  in- 
human ceremonial  once  more  looked  keenly  around 
him  for  a  victim. 

As  in  the  first  instance,  so  now  again  was  the 
wand  pointed  at  Smellie's  breast,  and  once  more 
the  cruel  crafty  bearer  of  it  advanced  on  tiptoe 
with  a  stealthy  cat-like  thread  toward  us.  He  ap- 
proached thus  until  he  had  reached  to  within  about 
ten  feet  of  the  tree,  when  he  once  more  paused  in 
front  of  us,  gesticulating  with  the  wand  and  mak- 
ing as  though  about  to  strike  with  it  the  light  blow 
which  seemed  to  be  the  stroke  of  doom,  keenly 
watching  all  the  while  for  some  sign  of  trepidation 
on  the  part  of  his  victim.  Then,  whilst  the  wretch 
was  in  the  very  midst  of  his  fantastic  genuflections 
before  us,  Smellie  turned  to  me  with  a  smile  and 
observed : 

"  Just  picture  to  yourself,  Hawkesley,  the  way  in 
which  that  fellow  would  be  made  to  jump  if  Tom 


1 68  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Collins,  the  boatswain's  mate,  could  only  approach 
him  from  behind  now,  and  freshen  his  way  with 
just  one  touch  of  his  '  cat.'  " 

There  was  perhaps  not  much  in  it ;  but  the  picture 
thus  suofo-ested  to  my  abnormally  excited  imamna- 
tion  seemed  so  supremely  ridiculous  that  I  incon- 
tinently burst  into  a  violent  and  uncontrollable  fit 
of  hysterical  laughter  (the  precise  effect  which  I 
afterwards  ascertained  Smellie  was  anxious  to  pro- 
duce) ;  so  highly  exasperating  the  fetish-man  that, 
with  eyes  fairly  sparkling  with  rage,  he  advanced 
and  struck  me  a  violent  blow  on  the  mouth  with 
his  filthy  hand,  passing  on  immediately  afterwards 
to  seek  elsewhere  for  a  victim. 

He  had  not  far  to  seek  ;  the  miserable  wretch 
next  me  on  m^^  left  was  so  paralyzed  with  fear  that 
he  was  deemed  a  fit  and  proper  person  to  become 
the  next  sacrifice,  and  almost  unresistingly — until 
resistance  was  all  too  late — he  was  dragged  forward 
into  the  inner  circle,  thrown  flat  upon  his  stomach, 
and  his  hands  and  feet  bound  securely  together  be- 
hind him.  Then,  indeed,  he  seemed  suddenly  to 
awake  to  a  sense  of  his  horrid  fate  ;  and  his  super- 
human struggles  for  freedom  and  his  ear-splitting 
yells  were  simply  dreadful  beyond  all  description 
to  see  and  hear.  The  fetish-man  and  his  assistants, 
confident  of  the  reliable  character  of  their  work, 
stood  back  and  looked  on  quietly  at  the  miserable 
wretch's  unavailing  struggles  ;  they  seemed  to  be 
regarded  as  quite  a  part  of  the  entertainment,  and 
the  unhappy  creature  was  allowed  to  continue  them 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  169 

unmolested  until  they  ceased  from  exhaustion. 
Then,  when  he  lay  quite  still,  panting  and  breath- 
less, with  his  eyes  starting  from  their  sockets  and 
the  perspiration  streaming  from  every  pore,  the 
fetish-man  approached  him  and  deftly  bending  on 
to  his  fettered  limbs  an  end  of  stout  monke^^-rope, 
he  was  dragged  along  the  ground  into  the  fire,  and 
thence  triced  in  an  instant  up  to  the  shears,  whence 
he  hung  suspended  at  the  height  of  about  a  foot  im- 
mediately over  the  glowing  embers. 

The  miserable  sufferer  bore  the  torment  as  long  as 
he  could,  and  I  shall  never  foi'get  the  awful  sight 
his  distorted  features  presented  as,  drawing  back 
his  head  as  far  as  he  could  from  the  fierce  heat,  he 
glared  round  the  circle,  seeking  perchance  for  a  hand 
merciful  enough  to  put  him  out  of  his  misery — but 
after  the  first  minute  of  suffering  his  stoicism  aban- 
doned him,  and  he  Avrithed  so  violentl}^  that  the 
fetish-man  and  his  assistants  had  to  steady  the  shears 
in  order  to  prevent  them  from  capsizing  altogether. 
And  with  every  writhe  of  the  victim  the  slender 
poles  bent  and  gave,  letting  the  miserable  sufferer 
sink  down  some  three  or  four  inches  nearer  the  fire. 
The  superhuman  struggles,  the  frightful  contortions 
and  writhings  of  the  man,  his  ear-splitting  3'ells,  the 
horrible  smell  of  roasting  flesh — oh,  God !  it  was 
awful  beyond  all  attempt  at  ilescription.  I  pray 
that  I  may  never  look  upon  such  a  ghastly  sight 
again. 

The  fiendish  exhibition  had  probably  reached  its 
most  appalling  phase,  and  I  was  wondering,  shud- 


170  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

deringly,  what  form  of  torture  could  possibly  exceed 
it  in  cruelty,  when  there  was  a  sudden  slight  move- 
ment of  my  bonds  ;  they  slackened  and  fell  away 
from  the  tree-trunk  against  which  I  leaned,  and  / 
was  free.  Not  a  moment  Avas  allowed  me  in  which 
to  get  over  the  first  shock  of  my  bewilderment ;  a 
soft  plump  hand  grasped  mine  and  gently  drew  me 
round  behind  the  tree,  so  rapidly  that  I  had  only 
time  to  note  the  fact  that  apparently  every  eye  in 
the  assembly  was  fixed  upon  the  writhing  figure  sus- 
pended over  the  fire,  and  before  I  had  fairly  realized 
what  was  happening  I  found  myself  a  dozen  yards 
away  from  my  starting-point,  gliding  rapidly  and 
noiselessly  through  the  deep  shadows  cast  by  the 
tree-trunks,  towards  the  outer  darkness  which  pre- 
vailed beyond  the  range  of  the  fire-light,  with  our 
little  black  Hebe  friend  of  a  few  hours  before  drag- 
ging me  along  on  one  side  of  her  and  Smellie  on  the 
other. 

Five  minutes  later  we  had  left  the  village  so  far 
behind  us  that  the  barbarous  sounds  of  horn  and 
drum,  mingled  with  the  yells  of  anguish  from  the 
tortured  victim,  momentarily  becoming  more  and 
more  softened  by  our  increasing  distance,  were  the 
sole  evidences  that  remained  to  us  of  its  existence, 
aud  we  found  ourselves  hurrying  along  through  the 
rank  grass,  threading  the  mazes  of  the  park-like 
clumps  of  lofty  timber,  and  forcing  a  passage  through 
the  thickly  clustering  festoons  of  parasitic  orchids, 
under  the  subdued  light  of  the  mellow  stars  alone. 

"With  almost  breathless  rapidity  our  tender-hearted 


A   FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  171 

little  deliverer  hurried  us  forward,  frequently  ex- 
claiming in  low  urgent  accents,  "  Zola-lvu  !  zola-ku," 
so  expressively  uttered  that  w^e  had  no  difficulty  in 
interpreting  the  w^ords  to  mean  that  there  Avas  the 
most  extreme  necessity  for  rapid  movement  on  our 
part.  We  accordingly  hastened  our  steps  to  the  ut- 
most limit  of  our  capacity,  and  in  about  ten  minutes 
from  the  moment  of  our  liberation  emerged  upon  a 
long  narrow  strip  of  sandy  beach,  with  the  noble 
river  sweeping  grandly  to  seaward  before  us.  Here 
our  guide  paused  for  a  moment,  ap])arently  ponder- 
ing as  to  what  it  would  next  be  best  to  do.  Glancing 
down  the  river  I  saw  indistinctly,  at  about  two 
hundred  yards  distance,  some  shapeless  objects  which 
1  took  to  be  canoes  drawn  up  on  the  beach,  and 
pointing  to  them  I  exclaimed  to  Smellie : 

"  Are  not  those  canoes  ?  If  they  are,  what  is  to 
prevent  our  seizing  one  and  making  our  way  down 
the  river  without  further  ado?" 

Our  little  Hebe  glanced  in  the  direction  I  had 
indicated,  and  seemed  quite  to  understand  the  nature 
of  my  suggestion,  for  she  shook  her  head  violently 
and  exclaimed  rapidly  in  accents  of  very  decided 
dissent,  "  Ye  !  Ve  ! !  Ve  ! ! !  "  pointing  at  the  same 
time  to  Smellie's  and  my  own  untended  wounds. 

At  that  moment  a  loud  confused  shouting  arose  in 
the  distant  village,  strongly  suggestive  of  the  dis- 
covery of  our  flight.  The  sounds  apparently  helped 
our  guide  to  a  decision  as  to  her  next  step,  for,  seiz- 
ing our  hands  afresh,  she  led  us  straight  into  the 
river  until  the  water  was  up  to  our  knees,  and  then 


I72  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

turned  sharply  to  the  right  or  up  stream.  Pressing 
forward  rapidly,  our  "  way  freshened  "  very  decid- 
edly by  unmistakable  shouts  of  pursuit  emanating 
from  the  neighborhood  of  the  village,  we  reached, 
after  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  arduous  toil,  a 
small  creek  some  forty  yards  wide.  Pausing  here 
for  a  moment,  our  guide  made  with  her  hands  and 
arms  the  motion  of  swimming,  pointed  across  the 
creek,  touched  Smellie  on  the  breast  with  the  query 
"  Yenu  ?  "  and  then  rapidly  repeated  the  same  pro- 
cess with  me.  "We  took  this  to  mean  an  inquiry  as 
to  our  ability  to  swim  the  creek,  and  both  replied 
"  Yes "  with  affirmative  nods.  Whereupon  our 
guide,  raising  her  finger  to  express  the  necessity  for 
extreme  caution,  and  uttering  a  warning  "  Xgandu  " 
as  she  next  pointed  to  the  waters  of  the  creek, 
waded  gently  and  without  raising  a  ripple  into  the 
deep  water,  Smellie  and  I  following,  and  with  a  few 
quiet  strokes  we  happily  reached  the  other  side  in 
safety,  to  plunge  forthwith  into  the  friendly  shadows 
of  the  forest.  Had  we  known  then — what  we 
learned  afterwards — that  the  word  "  Ngandu  "  is 
Congoese  for  "  crocodile,"  and  that  it  was  uttered 
as  an  intimation  to  us  that  the  river  and  its  creeks 
literally  swarm  with  these  reptiles,  it  is  possible  that 
our  swim,  short  though  it  was,  would  not  have  been 
undertaken  with  quite  so  much  composure. 

Once  fairly  in  the  forest,  it  became  so  dark  that  it 
was  quite  impossible  for  us  to  see  ^vhither  we  were 
going,  but  our  guide  seemed  to  l)e  well  acquainted 
with  the  route,  which,  from  the  comparatively  few 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  I73 

obstacles  met  with,  seemed  to  be  a  tolerably  well- 
beaten  path,  so  we  crowded  sail  and  pressed  along 
with  tolerable  rapidity  behind  the  slender  black  and 
almost  indistinguishable  figure  of  our  leader.  The 
pursuit,  too,  was  hotly  maintained,  as  we  could  tell 
by  the  occasional  shouts  and  the  sudden  swishings 
of  branches  at  no  great  distance  from  us  in  the  bush  ; 
but  at  length,  after  a  most  wearisome  and  painful 
tramp  of  fully  nine  miles,  we  got  fairh^  out  of  reach 
of  all  these  sounds,  and  finally,  at  a  sign  from  our 
deliverer,  flung  ourselves  down  in  the  midst  of  a 
thick  growth  of  ferns  at  the  foot  of  a  giant  tree,  and, 
despite  the  increasing  anguish  of  our  wounds,  soon 
went  to  sleep. 

"VVe  awoke  at  daybreak,  to  find  ourselves  alone : 
our  guide  of  the  previous  night  had  vanished.  We 
were  greatly  disconcerted  at  this,  for  we  felt  that 
we  should  like  to  have  done  something — though  we 
scarcely  knew  what — to  mark  our  appreciation  of 
her  extremely  important  services  of  the  preceding 
night.  Besides,  somehow,  Ave  had  both  taken  the 
notion  into  our  heads  that  in  liberating  us,  she  had 
committed  an  unpardonable  sin  against  her  former 
friends,  and  that  Avhen  she  crossed  the  creek  and 
plunged  into  the  forest  with  us  she  was  virtually 
cutting  herself  adrift  from  her  own  people  and  cast- 
ing in  her  lot  with  us.  In  which  case,  if  we  should 
succeed  in  making  good  our  escape  and  finding  our 
way  back  to  the  ship,  we  had  little  doubt  about  our 
ability  to  make  such  arrangements  on  her  behalf  as 
should  cause  her  to  rejoice  for  the  remainder  of  her 


174  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

life  at  having  befriended  us.  However,  it  seemed 
as  tlioug'h,  having  conducted  us  to  a  place  of  tempo- 
rary safety,  she  had  returned  to  the  village,  doubt- 
less hoping  to  escape  all  suspicion  of  having  had  a 
hand  in  our  liberation. 

It  was  a  glorious  morning.  The  sun  was  darting 
his  early  beams  through  the  richly  variegated  foli- 
age, and  touching  here  and  there  with  gold  the  giant 
trunks  and  limbs  of  the  forest  trees.  The  earth 
around  us  was  thickly  carpeted  with  long  grass  in- 
terspersed with  dense  fern-brakes,  and  here  and 
there  a  magnificent  clump  of  aloes,  their  long  waxy 
leaves  and  delicate  white  blossoms  standing  out  in 
strong  relief  against  the  blaze  of  intense  scarlet  or 
the  rich  vivid  green  of  a  neighboring  bush.  The 
early  morning  air  was  cool,  pure,  and  refreshing  as 
it  gently  fanned  our  fevered  temples  and  wafted  to 
us  a  thousand  delicate  perfumes.  The  birds,  glanc- 
ing like  living  gems  between  the  clumps  of  foliage, 
were  saluting  each  other  blithely  as  they  set  out 
upon  their  diurnal  quest  for  food.  The  bees  were 
already  busy  among  the  gorgeous  flowers ;  butter- 
flies— more  lovely  even  than  the  delicate  blossoms 
above  which  they  poised  themselves — flitted  merrily 
about  from  bough  to  bough  ;  all  nature,  in  fact,  was 
rejoicing  at  the  advent  of  a  new  day.  And  ill, 
suffering  though  we  were,  we  could  not  but  in  some 
measure  take  part  in  the  general  joy,  as  with  hearts 
overflowing  with  gratitude  we  remembered  that  we 
had  escaped  the  horrors  of  the  previous  night. 

A  glance  or  two  about  us  and  "we  scrambled  to  our 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  1 75 

feet,  intent,  in  the  first  instance,  upon  an  immediate 
searcli  for  water.  We  bad  just  settled  the  question 
as  to  whicli  direction  seemed  most  promising  for  the 
commencement  of  our  quest  when  a  clear  musical 
call  floated  towards  us,  and  looking  in  the  direction 
from  whence  it  came,  we  beheld  our  black  Hebe  ap- 
proaching us,  dragging  a  small  dead  antelope  by  the 
heels  after  her.  So  she  had  not  abandoned  us  after 
all ;  on  the  contrary,  she  had  probably  spent  a  good 
part  of  the  night  arranging  for  the  capture  of  the 
creature  which  was  to  furnish  us  with  a  break- 
fast. 

On  joining  us  she  held  up  her  prize  for  our  inspec- 
tion, and  then,  with  a  joyous  laugh  at  our  approving 
remarks — at  the  meaning  of  which  she  could,  of 
course,  only  make  the  roughest  of  guesses — she  set 
to  work  deftly  to  clear  away  and  lay  bare  a  space 
upon  which  to  start  a  fire,  in  which  task,  as  soon  as 
we  saw  what  she  wanted,  we  assisted  her  to  the  best 
of  our  poor  ability.  This  done,  she  went  groping 
about  beneath  the  trees,  apparently  in  search  of 
something,  soon  returning  with  two  pieces  of  dry 
stick,  one  of  which,  I  noticed,  had  a  hole  in  it.  A 
quantity  of  dry  leaves  and  sticks  was  next  collected, 
having  arranged  which  to  her  satisfaction,  she  knelt 
down,  and  inserting  the  pointed  end  of  one  stick  in 
the  hole  of  the  other,  tAvirled  it  rapidl}^  betv^'een  the 
palms  of  her  hands,  producing  by  the  friction  thus 
set  up,  first  a  slight  wreath  of  smoke,  and  ultimately 
a  tiny  flame,  which  was  scarcely  communicated  to 
the  dry  leaves,  and  then  gently  fanned  by  her  breath 


176  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

into  a  blaze.  And  in  this  way  a  capital  fire  for 
cooking  purposes  was  speedily  obtained. 

In  the  mean  time  Smellie  and  I  had  produced  our 
knives  and  had  undertaken  to  skin  and  cut  up  the 
animal,  some  juicy  steaks  from  which  were  soon 
spluttering  on  pointed  sticks  before  the  fire.  The 
cooking  operations  being  thus  put  in  satisfactory 
progress,  our  little  black  friend  borrowed  nw  knife 
and  plunged  once  more  into  the  forest  depths,  to 
return  again  shortly  afterwards  with  a  huge  gourd 
full  of  deliciously  clear  cool  water. 

The  antelope  steaks  were  by  this  time  ready,  and 
we  all  sat  down  to  breakfast  together.  For  my  own 
part,  I  must  say  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  meal ;  but 
I  was  sorry  to  observe  that  Smellie  ate  with  but 
little  appetite,  drinking  large  quantities  of  water, 
however.  The  poor  fellow  made  no  complaint,  but 
I  could  tell  by  his  haggard  look,  his  flushed  cheeks, 
and  his  glittering  eyes  that  it  was  quite  time  his 
wounds  were  attended  to,  or  we  should  be  having 
him  down  with  fever  in  the  bush,  and  then  Heaven 
alone  could  tell  when  we  should — if  ever — be  able  to 
rejoin  the  Daphne. 

But  we  were  not  to  be  allowed  to  sink  tamely  into 
a  state  of  despondency  or  apprehension  ;  our  sable 
lady  friend  proved  to  be,  like  the  rest  of  her  sex,  a 
great  talker,  and  she  seized  the  opportunity  afforded 
by  the  discussion  of  breakfast  to  plunge  into  an  ani- 
mated conversation.  She  began  by  introducing 
herself,  which  she  managed  in  quite  an  original 
fashion.     Pausing  for  a  moment,  with   a  piece  of 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  177 

steak  poised  daintil}^  on  a  large  thorn,  she  pointed 
to  herself  and  remarked  "  Mono ; "  then  touched 
Smellie  and  me  lightly  on  the  breast  and  added 
"  Ingeya ; "  "  Ingeya."  We  nodded  gravely  to 
signify  that  we  understood,  or  thought  we  did  ;  upon 
which  she  pointed  to  herself  once  more  and  observed, 
"  Mono  Lubembabemba." 

"  Which,  being  interpreted,  means,  as  I  take  it, 
that  her  ladyship's  name  is  Lubem  by — something. 
Your  most  obedient  servant.  Miss  Liibin  by — " 

She  laughed  a  very  pretty  musical  little  laugh  at 
Smellie's  elaborate  assumption  of  mock  gallantry 
and  his  bungling  efforts  to  pronounce  the  name. 

"  Lubem-ba-bemba,''  she  corrected  him ;  and  this 
time  the  gallant  second  lieutenant  managed  to 
stumble  through  it  correctly,  at  which  there  was 
more  laughter  and  rejoicing  on  the  lady's  ]mrt. 
Then  I  was  called  upon  to  repeat  the  name,  which, 
having  paid  the  most  praiseworthy  attention  whilst 
Smellie  was  receiving  his  lesson,  I  managed  to  do 
very  fairly. 

Then,  flushed  with  her  success.  Miss  Lubemba- 
bemba made  a  further  attempt  at  conversation. 
Pointing  to  herself  and  repeating  her  name,  she 
next  pointed  to  Smellie  and  asked  : 

" Ingeya  ? " 

Her  meaning  was  so  evident  that  Smellie  answered 
at  once,  with  another  elaborate  bow. 

"  Harold  Smellie;  at  your  service." 

"  Haloldsmellieatoserveece  ? "    she  repeated  with 


12 


178  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

wide-opened  eyes  of  wonder  at  what  she  doubtless 
thought  a  very  extraordinary  name. 

We  both  burst  invohmtarily  into  a  laugh  at  this 
really  clever  first  attempt  to  reproduce  the  second 
lieutenant's  polite  speech ;  at  which  she  first  looked 
decidedly  disconcerted,  but  immediately  afterwards 
joined  heartily  in  the  laugh  against  herself. 

"  No,  no,  no,"  said  Smellie,  "  that  won't  do ;  you 
haven't  got  it  quite  right.     Harold ;  Haeold," 

"  Harold  ?  "  she  repeated.  And  after  two  or  three 
attempts  to  put  her  right — attempts  which  failed 
from  her  evident  inability  to  pronounce  the  "'  r  " — 
Smellie  was  obliged  to  rest  content  with  being  hence- 
forward called  "  Haloid." 

Then,  of  course,  she  turned  to  me  with  the  same 
inquiry  : 

"Ingeya?" 

"  Dick,''  said  I. 

Tliis  time  she  caught  the  name  accurately,  and 
then,  to  show  that  she  clearly  understood  the  whole 
proceeding,  pointed  to  Smellie,  to  me,  and  to  herself 
in  rotation,  pronouncing  our  respective  names. 

•'  Yes,"  commented  Smellie  approvingly,  "  you 
have  learned  your  lesson  very  well  indeed,  my  dear; 
but  we  shall  never  be  able  to  remember  that  extraor- 
dinary name  of  yours — Lubemba — what  is  it — you 
know;  besides,  it  will  take  us  a  dog-watch  to  pro- 
nounce it  in  full ;  so  I  propose  that  we  change  it 
and  rechristen  you  after  the  ship,  eh  ?  Call  you 
'  Daphne,'  you  know.  How  would  you  like  that  ? 
You — Daphne — I — Haloid  since  you  will  have  it  so ; 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  179 

and  this  strapping  young  gentleman,  Dick.  Would 
that  suit  you  ?  Daphne — Haloid — Dick  ;  "  pointing 
to  each  of  us  in  turn. 

Her  ladyship  seemed  to  take  the  proposal  as  a 
tremendous  compliment,  for  her  face  lighted  up  with 
pleasure,  and  she  kept  on  pointing  round  the  circle 
and  repeating  "  Haloid — Dick — Daphne  "  until 
breakfast  was  concluded.  And  thenceforward  she 
refused  to  answer  to  any  other  name  than  Daphne, 
assuming  an  air  of  the  most  complete  unconscious- 
ness when  either  of  us  presumed  to  address  her  as 
"  Lubembabemba  "  (the  butterfly). 

Breakfast  over,  I  thought  it  was  high  time  to  at- 
tend to  our  Avounds.  The  first  requirement  was  water 
— plenty  of  it,  and  this  want  I  managed  with  some 
little  difficulty  to  explain  to  Miss  Daphne.  Compre- 
hending my  meaning  at  last  she  intimated  that  a 
stream  was  to  be  found  at  no  great  distance ;  and 
we  at  once  set  off  in  search  of  it,  our  little  black 
friend  carrying  along  with  her  a  live  ember  from  the 
fire,  which,  by  waving  it  occasionally  in  the  air,  she 
managed  to  keep  glowing. 

We  had  not  very  far  to  go — most  fortunately,  for 
I  saw  that  Smellie's  wounds  were  momentarily  giv- 
ing him  increased  uneasiness  and  pain,  A  walk  of 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  took  us  to  a  sequestered 
and  most  delightful  spot,  where  we  were  not  only  per- 
fectly concealed  from  chance  wanderers,  but  where 
we  also  found  a  small  rocky  basin  full  of  deliciously 
cool  and  pure  water,  which  flowed  into  it  from  a 
tiny  stream  meandering  down  the  steep  hillside. 


l8o  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

In  this  basin  we  laved  oar  hurts  until  they  were 
thoroughly  cleansed  from  the  dry,  hard,  coagulated 
blood,  and  then  we  set  about  the  task  of  bandaging 
them  up.  Daphne,  who,  by  the  way,  seemed  to  have 
little  or  no  idea  of  surgery,  made  herself  of  great  use 
to  us  in  the  bathing  process,  when  once  she  under- 
stood what  was  required ;  but  when  it  came  to  ban- 
daging she  found  herself  unable  to  help  us  further, 
and  sorrowfully  confessed  herself  beaten.  "We  were 
compelled  to  convert  our  shirts,  the  only  linen  in  our 
possession,  into  bandages ;  and  poor  Daphne,  to  her 
evident  extreme  sorrow,  had  no  linen  to  sacrifice 
to  our  necessities,  or  indeed  any  clothing  at  all  to 
speak  of.  The  costume  of  a  Congoese  belle,  accord- 
ing to  her  rendering  of  it,  was  a  petticoat  of  parti- 
colored bead  fringe  about  twelve  inches  deep  de- 
pending loosely  from  the  hips ;  the  rest  of  her  cloth- 
ing consisting  entirely — as  Mike  Flanaghan  would 
have  said — of  jewelry,  of  which  she  wore  a  consider- 
able quantity.  I  may  as  well  here  enumerate  her 
ornaments,  for  the  information  and  benefit  of  those 
who  have  never  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of  an 
African  beauty.  In  the  first  place  she  wore  a  cir- 
cular band  of  metal,  about  two  inches  wide,  round 
her  head  and  across  her  forehead.  This  band,  or 
coronet,  had  a  plain  border,  of  about  half  an  inch 
wide,  and  inside  this  border  for  about  an  inch  in 
width  thoroughout  its  length,  the  metal  was  cut 
away  in  very  fine  lines,  forming  an  intricate  and 
really  elegant  lace-like  pattern.  Then  she  wore  also 
a  very  large  pair  of  circular  ear-rings,  similarly  ornar 


A    FIENDISH    CEREMONIAL.  l8l 

merited,  these  ornaments  being  so  large  and  heavy 
that  they  had  actually  stretched  the  lobes,  and  so 
spoiled  the  shape  of  what  would  otherwise  have  been 
a  very  pretty  pair  of  ears.  Upon  each  of  her  plump, 
finely-shaped  arms,  between  the  shoulder  and  the 
elbow,  she  wore  four  or  five  massive  armlets  of  pe- 
culiar but  by  no  means  unskilled  workmanship  ;  and 
lastly,  round  each  ankle  she  wore  a  single  anklet  of 
similar  workmanship.  On  the  previous  nigiit,  when 
this  rather  lavish  display  of  jewelry  had  first  at- 
tracted my  casual  notice,  I  had  imagined  it  to  be 
brass ;  but  now,  seeing  it  again  in  the  full  light  of 
day,  I  discovered  it  to  be  gold,  almost  or  quite  pure, 
as  I  judged  from  its  softness. 

To  return  to  our  subject.  Daphne's  first  task  on 
our  arrival  at  the  pool  had  been  to  kindle  another 
fire ;  and,  after  helping  us  as  far  as  she  could  to 
doctor  our  wounds,  she  next  undertook  an  explora- 
tion of  the  forest  in  our  immediate  neighborhood, 
returning  in  about  an  hour's  time  with  three  long, 
thin,  straight  shafts  of  a  kind  of  bamboo,  and  three 
small  uprooted  saplings.  These  articles  she  forth- 
with plunged  into  the  fire,  and  after  an  hour's  dili- 
gent work  manipulated  the  bamboos  into  three  very 
effective  lances  or  javelins,  and  the  saplings  into 
three  truly  formidable  clubs,  the  knotted  roots  be- 
ing charred  and  trimmed  until  they  formed  rounded 
heads  as  large  as  one's  two  fists  put  together.  One 
of  each  of  these  weapons  she  presented  both  to 
Smellie  and  to  me,  retaining  one  of  each  for  herself; 


l82  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

and  thus  armed,  we  were  ready  to  set  out  once  more 
upon  our  travels. 

But  it  was  high  time  that  our  wanderings  should 
be  conducted  with  something  like  method.  Our  ob- 
ject was,  of  course,  to  rejoin  the  ship  with  the  least 
possible  delay ;  and  before  making  a  fresh  start 
Smellie  thought  it  would  be  just  as  well  to  acquaint 
our  companion  with  this  our  desire.  He  accordingly 
undertook  to  do  so,  and  a  very  amusing  scene  re- 
sulted ;  but  he  succeeded  at  last  in  making  his  wish 
clearly  understood,  and  this  achieved  we  once  more 
resumed  our  march. 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  1 83 


CHAPTEE  XI. 


FAITHFUL  UNTO   DEATH. 


By  the  time  that  we  were  finally  ready  to  start 
it  was  about  noon,  and  the  heat  had  become  intensely 
oppressive.  The  refreshing  zephyrs  of  the  morning 
had  died  completely  away,  and  the  motionless  at- 
mosphere, rarefied  by  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun, 
was  all  a-quiver.  Not  a  beast,  bird,  or  insect  was 
stirring  throughout  the  whole  length  and  breadth 
of  the  far-stretching  forest  aisles.  The  grass,  the 
flowers,  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  the  graceful  festoons 
of  parasitic  creepers,  were  all  as  still  as  though  cut 
out  of  iron.  The  stagnant  air  was  saturated  to  op- 
pressiveness with  a  thousand  mingled  perfumes  ;  and 
not  a  sound  of  any  kind  broke  in  upon  the  death-like 
stillness  of  the  scene.  It  was  Nature's  silent  hour, 
the  hour  of  intensest  heat ;  that  short  interval  about 
noon  when  all  living  things  appear  to  retire  into  the 
most  sheltered  nooks — the  darkest,  coolest  shadows ; 
the  one  hour  out  of  the  twenty-four  when  absolute, 
unbroken  silence  reigns  throughout  the  African 
forest. 

Under  Daphne's  leadership  we  struck  off  on  a 
westerly  course  through  the  green  shadows  of  the 


184  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

forest,  and  toiled  laboriously  forward  until  the  dusky 
twilight  warned  us  of  the  necessity  for  seeking  a 
resting-place  wherein  to  pass  the  coming  night. 
This  was  found  at  length  in  the  center  of  a  wide 
clearing  or  break  in  the  forest ;  and  Smellie  and  I, 
at  Daphne's  expressively-conveyed  pantomimic  sug- 
gestion, forthwith  set  about  gathering  the  where- 
withal to  build  a  fire,  whilst  the  damsel  herself  un- 
dertook the  task  of  providing  a  supper  for  the  party. 
Our  task  was  barely  completed  when  her  dusky  lady- 
ship returned  with  three  gray  parrots  and  a  pair  of 
green  pigeons,  as  well  as  a  large  gourd  of  water,  from 
"which  we  eventually  managed  to  make  a  very  satis- 
fying supper.  A  circle  of  fires  was  then  built  about 
our  camping-place,  and  we  flung  ourselves  down  in 
the  long  grass  to  sleep,  two  at  least  of  the  party  be- 
ing, as  I  can  vouch,  thoroughly  done  up. 

We  managed  to  get  perhaps  a  couple  of  hours  of 
sleep,  and  then  our  rest  was  completely  destroyed 
for  the  remainder  of  the  night  by  a  well-sustained 
attack  on  the  part  of  countless  ticks,  ants,  and  other 
inquisitive  insects,  which  persisted  in  perambulating 
our  bodies  and  busily  taking  sample  bites  out  of  our 
skins,  in  an  evident  efi'ort  to  ascertain  the  locality  of 
the  tenderest  portions  of  our  anatomy. 

Next  morning  I  discovered  with  the  greatest  con- 
cern that  Smellie  was  downright  ill,  so  much  so  that 
it  soon  became  evident  it  would  be  quite  impossible 
for  us  to  prosecute  our  journey,  for  that  day  at  least. 
Daphne's  distress  at  this  unfortunate  state  of  affairs 
was  very  keen,  but  she  was  a  pre-eminently  sensible 


Hawkesley  and  Daphne  nukse  Mr.  Smellie. — Page  184. 


FAITHFUL   UNTO    DEATH.  1 85 

little  body,  seeing  almost  at  a  glance  what  was 
wanted  ;  and  promptly  diverting  her  sympathies  in- 
to a  practical  channel,  she  at  once  set  off  in  search 
of  a  more  suitable  abiding  place  than  the  one  we  had 
occupied  through  the  night.  This  she  at  length  found 
in  an  open  glade  at  no  great  distance  ;  and  thither 
Ave  promptly  removed  our  patient,  the  rapidly-in- 
creasing seriousness  of  his  symptoms  admonishing 
us  that  there  was  little  room  for  delay. 

Our  new  camping  place  was  a  lovely  spot,  being 
an  open  amphitheater  of  about  ten  acres  in  extent, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  forest,  and  having  a 
tiny  rivulet  of  pure  sparkling  fresh  water  flowing- 
through  it.  Daphne  of  course  at  once  took  the  lead 
in  the  arrangements  necessary  for  what  threatened  to 
be  a  somewhat  protracted  sojourn  ;  and  by  her  direc- 
tions (it  was  singular  how  rapidly  we  were  learning 
to  make  ourselves  mutually  understood)  I  proceeded 
in  the  first  instance  to  clear  away  the  grass,  as  far 
as  possible,  from  a  circular  space  some  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  bank  of  the 
stream.  Daphne,  meanwhile,  having  borrowed 
Smellie's  knife,  went  off  into  the  forest,  from  which 
she  soon  afterwards  returned  with  a  heavy  load  of 
long,  tough,  pliant  wands.  Flinging  these  upon  the 
ground,  she  next  busied  herself  in  lighting  a  fire  on 
the  partially  cleared  space,  employing  me  to  procure 
for  her  the  necessary  materials  ;  and  when  a  large 
enough  bonfire  had  been  constructed,  and  the  em- 
bers were  all  red-hot,  she  spread  them  carefully  over 
the  whole  of  the  space  upon  which  I  had  been  work- 


l86  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ing,  and  thus  effectually  destro3'ed  what  grass  I  had 
been  unable  to  remove.  This  done  our  next  task 
was  to  cut  all  the  Avands  or  wattles  to  a  uniform 
length  of  about  twenty-seven  feet  and  point  them  at 
both  ends ;  after  Avhich,  by  driving  the  ends  into  the 
soil  on  opposite  sides  of  our  cleared  circle  of  ground, 
we  soon  had  complete  the  framework  of  a  hemi- 
spherical bee-hive  like  structure.  A  second  load  of 
Avattles  was,  however,  necessary  to  strengthen  this 
framework  to  Daphne's  liking,  and  leaving  poor 
Smellie,  for  the  nonce,  to  take  care  of  himself,  the 
pair  of  us  set  out  to  procure  them.  Daphne  led  me 
to  a  dense  brake  wherein  immense  numbers  of  these 
Avattles  were  to  be  found,  and  leaving  me  to  cut  as 
many  as  I  could  carry,  proceeded  further  afield  in 
quest  of  building  material  of  another  sort.  I  had 
completed  my  task  and  was  back  in  camp  preparing 
my  load  for  use  when  Daphne  returned  ;  and  this 
time  she  came  staggering  in  under  a  tremendous  load 
of  palm-leaves,  which  I  rightly  guessed  were  to  be 
used  for  thatch.  So  we  toiled  on  during  the  whole 
of  that  day,  which,  like  the  preceding,  was  intensely 
hot,  and  by  dusk  our  hut  was  so  far  complete  as  to 
be  capable  of  affording  us  a  shelter  during  the  suc- 
ceeding night.  By  midday  of  the  following  day  it 
was  quite  finished ;  and  an  efficient  shelter  having 
thus  been  provided  for  Smellie  from  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  sun,  we  were  then  in  a  position  to  give 
him  our  undivided  attention,  of  which  he,  by  that 
time,  stood  in  most  urgent  need. 

The    ensuing    fortnight    was    one    of     ceaseless 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  187 

anxiety  to  Daphne  and  myself,  poor  Smellie  being 
prostrate  with  raging  fever  and  utterly  helpless 
during  the  whole  of  that  time.  Fugitives  as  we 
were,  and  in  a  savage  country,  it  was  quite  out  of 
our  power  to  procure  assistance,  medical  or  other- 
wise. We  were  thrown  completely  upon  our  own 
resources,  and  we  had  nothing  whatever  to  guide 
us  in  our  inexperience.  Daphne,  to  my  surprise, 
appeared  to  possess  no  knowledge  whatever  of  the 
healing  art ;  and  thus  the  treatment  of  our  patient 
devolved  solely  upon  me.  And  what  could  I  do  ? 
I  had  no  drugs  ;  and  had  I  had  access  to  the  best 
appointed  apothecary's  shojD  I  should  still  have 
lacked  the  knowledge  requisite  for  a  right  use  of 
its  contents.  So  we  were  obliged,  no  doubt  fortu- 
nately for  the  patient,  to  allow  Nature  to  take  her 
course,  merely  adopting  such  sinij^le  precautionary 
measures  as  would  suggest  themselves  to  any  one 
possessed  of  average  common  sense.  We  provided 
for  our  patient  a  comfortable,  fragrant,  springy  bed 
of  a  species  of  heather ;  cleansed  and  dressed  his 
wounds  as  often  as  seemed  necessary ;  kept  him  as 
cool  as  possible,  and  fed  him  entirely  upon  fruits  of 
a  mild  and  agreeable  acid  flavor.  During  that  fort- 
night Smellie  was  undoubtedly  hovering  on  the  bor- 
derland between  life  and  death,  and  but  for  the  tire- 
less and  tender  solicitude  of  Daphne  I  am  convinced 
he  would  have  passed  across  the  dividing  line  and 
entered  the  land  of  shadows.  I  soon  saw  that  this 
poor  ignorant  black  girl,  this  unsophisticated  savage, 
had,  all  unknowingly  to  Smellie,  yielded   up   her 


l88  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

simple  untutored  heart  a  willing  captive  to  the 
charm  of  his  genial  manner  and  gallant  bearing  ; 
and  as  the  crisis  approached  which  was  to  decide 
the  question  of  life  or  death  with  him,  the  unhappy 
girl  established  herself  beside  him  and  seemed  to 
enter  upon  a  blind,  dogged,  obstinate  struggle  with 
the  Grim  Destroyer,  with  the  life  of  the  uncon- 
scious patient  as  the  stake. 

As  for  me,  I  was  wretched,  miserable  beyond  all 
power  of  description.  Knowing  but  little  of  Smel- 
lie,  save  as  my  superior  officer,  until  the  terrible 
night  when  we  found  ourselves  fellow-captives 
doomed  to  a  cruel  death  together,  I  had  since  then 
seen  so  much  that  was  noble  and  good  in  him  that 
I  had  speedily  learned  to  love  him  with  all  my  heart, 
aye,  with  the  same  love  which  David  bore  to  Jona- 
than, And  there  he  lay,  sick  unto  death,  and  I  was 
powerless  to  help  him. 

At  length,  leaving  him  one  day  under  Daphne's 
care,  I  sallied  forth  to  seek  a  fresh  supply  of  fruit 
for  him,  and,  wandering  farther  than  usual  afield  in 
my  misery  and  abstraction,  I  discovered  a  fruit- 
bearing  tree  quite  new  to  me.  The  fruit — a  kind 
of  nut  somewhat  similar  to  a  walnut — had  a  very 
strong,  but  by  no  means  unpleasant,  bitter  taste, 
and  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  possibly  this 
fruit  might  prove  to  be  a  not  altogether  ineffective 
substitute  for  quinine.  At  all  events,  I  was  resolved 
to  try  it,  on  myself  first,  if  necessary,  and  I  gathered 
as  many  of  the  nuts  as  I  could  conveniently 
carry. 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  1 89 

On  my  arrival  at  the  hut  I  showed  them  to 
Daphne  and  tried  to  find  out  whether  she  Ivnew 
anything  about  them ;  but  for  once  we  failed  to 
comprehend  each  other,  and  I  w\is  obliged  to  carry 
out  my  original  intention  of  experimenting  upon 
myself.  "With  this  object  I  opened  the  nuts  and 
set  the  kernels  to  steep  in  water  in  a  gourd  basin 
(upon  setting  up  housekeeping  we  soon  accumu- 
lated quite  a  number  of  gourd  utensils).  I  observed 
with  satisfaction  that  the  water  soon  began  to  ac- 
quire a  brown  color  ;  and  after  my  decoction  had 
stood  for  about  three  hours  I  found  that  its  flavor 
had  become  quite  as  strong  as  was  desirable.  Fear- 
ing to  take  much  at  the  outset,  lest  I  should  unwit- 
tingly be  swallowing  poison,  I  drank  about  a  quarter 
of  a  pint,  and  then,  with  some  anxiety,  awaited  the 
result.  It  was  about  noon  when  I  swallowed  the 
potion,  and  two  hours  afterwards  I  was  more  hun- 
gry than  I  remembered  to  have  ever  been  before. 
So  far,  good ;  I  determined  to  wait  until  night,  and 
then,  if  no  worse  result  than  hunger  revealed  itself, 
try  the  effect  of  my  new  medicine  upon  Smellie. 
By  sunset  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  what- 
ever else  my  decoction  might  be,  it  was  not  a  poison, 
and  with,  I  must  confess,  a  certain  amount  of  fear 
and  trepidation,  I  at  last  prevailed  upon  myself  to 
administer  the  draught,  sitting  down  forthwith  to 
watch  and  await  the  result.  By  midnight  the  most 
that  could  be  said  of  our  patient  was  that  he  was 
no  worse;  and,  encouraged  on  the  whole  by  this 
negative  result,  I  then  administered  a  second  and 


190  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

larger  dose.  Next  morning  I  thought  I  detected 
signs  of  improvement,  and  by  sundown  the  improve- 
ment was  no  longer  doubtful ;  the  dry,  scorching 
feeling  of  the  skin  had  given  place  to  a  cool  healthy 
moisture ;  the  pulse  was  slower ;  the  fevered  and 
excited  brain  at  length  found  rest,  and  the  patient 
at  last  even  pleaded  guilty  to  a  feeling  of  hunger. 

Jubilation  now  reigned  supreme  in  our  palm-leaf 
hut ;  the  fatted  calf  (in  the  shape  of  a  parrot  of  gor- 
geous plumage)  was  killed — and  devoured  by  the 
patient  with  something  approaching  to  relish — and 
my  reputation  as  a  great  medicine-man  was  thence- 
forth fully  established. 

From  this  time  Smellie  began  to  slowly  mend, 
thanks  as  much,  probably,  to  Daphne's  tireless  nurs- 
ing and  assiduous  care  as  to  the  relentless  perseve- 
rance with  which  I  administered  my  new  medicine ; 
and  in  little  more  than  a  ^veek  he  was  able,  Avith 
assistance,  to  totter  into  the  open  air  and  sit  for  half 
an  hour  or  so  under  the  shadow  of  a  rough  awning 
of  thatch  which  Daphne  and  I  had  with  some  diffi- 
culty contrived  to  rig  up  for  him. 

Our  little  black  friend  still  continued  to  devote 
herself  wholly  to  Smellie,  w^aiting  upon  him  hand 
and  foot,  watching  beside  him  night  and  da}^,  fan- 
ning him  with  a  palm-leaf,  or  feeding  him  on  deli- 
cious fruit  whilst  he  lay  awake  under  his  rude  shel- 
ter, drawing  in  fresh  life  and  renewed  health  at 
every  inspiration  of  the  delicious,  perfume-laden  air, 
and  snatching  brief  intervals  of  rest  only  whilst  he 
filept.     In  consequence  of  this  arrangement  the  fur- 


FAITHFUL   UNTO    DEATH.  191 

nishing  of  the  larder  devolved  wholly  upon  me,  and 
I  soon  acquired  a  considerable  amount  of  skill  in 
bringing  do'.vn  my  game,  principally  birds,  either  by 
a  dexterous  cast  of  my  club,  or  by  means  of  a  long 
reed  tube,  like  an  exaggerated  pea-shooter,  from 
which  I  puffed  little  reed  darts  to  a  great  distance 
with  considerable  force. 

About  a  fortnight  after  Smell ie  had  exhibited  the 
first  symptoms  of  improvement  I  went  out  foraging 
as  usual,  and,  having  secured  the  necessary  supplies, 
was  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  our  hut,  on  my 
return  journey,  when  I  suddenly  discovered  a  negro 
stealing  cautiously  along  from  tree  to  tree  before 
me.  His  actions  were  so  suspicious  that  my  curiosity 
was  aroused,  and,  placing  m3^self  in  ambush  behind 
the  nearest  tree,  I  resolved  to  watch  him.  He  was 
making  straight  for  our  hut,  dodging  from  tree  to 
tree,  and  lurking  behind  each  until  he  had  apparently 
satisfied  himself  that  the  coast  ahead  was  perfectly 
clear.  Such  excessive  caution  on  the  stranger's  part, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  he  carried  four  broad- 
pointed  spears,  seemed  to  me  to  indicate  a  purpose 
the  direct  reverse  of  friendly,  and  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  would  be  well  to  shorten  the  dis- 
tance between  him  and  m3^self  a  trifle,  if  possible. 
This,  however,  was  not  by  any  means  easy  to  do 
until  the  skulking  savage  had  arrived  within  sight 
of  the  hut,  when  he  paused  long  enough  to  allow  of 
my  creeping  up  to  within  a  dozen  yards  of  him, 
when  the  reason  for  his  hesitation  became  apparent. 
Smellie  and  Daphne  were  under  the  awning  outside 


192  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  hut,  and  my  mysterious  friend  could  advance  no 
further  without  passing  into  the  open  clearing,  and 
so  revealing  himself. 

We  remained  thus  for  fully  half  an  hour,  the 
savage  so  intently  watching  the  couple  under  the 
awning  that  he  had  not  the  remotest  suspicion  of 
being  himself  watched.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  the 
sun  having  set  meanwhile,  Smellie  staggered  to  his 
feet,  and,  leaning  on  Daphne's  shoulder,  passed  into 
the  hut. 

My  mysterious  neighbor  maintained  his  position 
for  some  five  minutes  longer,  and  then,  springing 
from  his  hiding-place,  made  a  dash  for  the  hut  at  full 
speed,  I  following.  When  I  emerged  from  the 
forest  into  the  open  amphitheater  in  the  center  of 
which  stood  our  hut,  the  savage  was  some  fifty  yards 
ahead  of  me,  running  like  a  hunted  deer.  I  began 
to  fear  that  he  was  bent  on  mischief  of  some  kind, 
and — now  that  it  was  too  late — keenly  regretted 
the  indecision  which  had  allowed  him  to  remain  so 
long  unchallenged.  In  my  anxiety  to  check  his 
speed  I  raised  a  shout.  At  the  sound  he  glanced 
over  his  shoulder,  saw  me  in  hot  pursuit,  and  paused 
for  an  instant,  dashing  forward  the  next  moment, 
however,  more  rapidly  than  ever. 

My  shout  was  evidently  heard  by  the  occupants  of 
the  hut,  for  Daphne  immediately  afterwards  appeared 
at  the  entrance.  At  the  sight  of  the  figure  bound- 
ing toward  her  she  uttered  a  little  cry  and  put  out 
her  hands  protestingly,  calling  out  to  him  at  the 
same  time.     I  could  not  catch  the  Avords  she  uttered, 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  193 

and  if  I  could  have  done  so  it  is  very  improbable 
that  I  should  have  understood  them,  but  it  struck 
me  that  they  conveyed  either  a  warning  or  an  apjDeal. 
Whatever  they  were,  he  paid  no  attention  to  them, 
but  still  rushed  forward,  brandishing  a  spear  threat- 
eningly. In  another  second  or  two  he  reached 
the  hut  and  endeavored  to  force  an  entrance.  To 
this,  however.  Daphne  offered  the  most  energetic 
opposition,  obstinately  maintaining  her  position  in 
the  doorway.  The  savage  then  strove  to  force  his 
way  in,  but  Daphne  still  persisting  in  her  opposition 
he  drew  back  a  pace,  and,  raising  his  arm  with  a 
savage  cry,  drove  the  broad-bladed  javelin  with  all 
his  brutal  strength  down  into  her  bare  bosom.  The 
poor  girl  staggered  under  the  force  of  the  blow,  and 
with  a  stifled  shriek  and  an  appealing  cry  to  "  Haloid," 
reeled  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground  inside  the 
hut.  Meanwhile,  the  savage,  leaving  the  javelin 
quivering  in  the  body  of  his  victim,  turned  to  meet 
me,  snatching  another  javelin  with  his  right  hand 
from  his  left  at  the  same  instant ;  and  as  he  did  so  I 
recognized  our  former  enemy,  the  fetish-man  or  witch- 
doctor of  Daphne's  village.  I  was  by  this  time 
within  arm's-length  of  him,  and,  quick  as  light,  he 
made  a  lunge  at  me.  By  a  happy  chance  I  suc- 
ceeded in  parrying  the  stroke  with  the  blow-pipe 
which  I  held  in  my  left  hand,  and  then,  springing 
in  upon  him,  I  dealt  him  so  tremendous  a  blow  with 
my  heavy,  knotted,  hard-wood  club  that  his  skull 
crashed  under  it  like  an  egg-shell,  and  he  fell  a 
brainless  corpse  at  my  feet. 
13 


194  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Entering  the  hut  I  found  Smellie  on  his  knees 
beside  the  lifeless  body  of  Daphne. 

"  Too  late,  Ilawkesley !  you  were  just  too  late  to 
save  this  poor  devoted  girl,"  he  murmured.  "  Only 
a  few  seconds  earlier,  and  you  would  have  been  in 
time  to  arrest  the  murderous  blow.  She  is  quite 
dead  ;  indeed  her  death  must  have  been  instan- 
taneous. See,  the  blade  of  the  javelin  is  quite  a  foot 
long,  and  it  was  completely  buried  in  her  body ;  it 
must  have  passed  clean  through  her  heart.  Poor 
girl !  she  was  indeed  faithful  unto  death,  for  it  was 
TYiy  life  that  yonder  murderous  wretch  thirsted  for. 
You  doubtless  recognized  him — the  fetish-man  who 
strove  so  hard  to  terrify  us  on  the  night  of  the 
sacrifice  in  the  village  ?  I  am  convinced  that,  in  his 
anger  and  chagrin  at  our  escape,  he  has  patiently 
hunted  us  down,  determined  to  make  us  feel  his 
vengeance  in  one  way  if  he  failed  in  the  other. 
Poor  Daphne  clearly  read  his  intention,  I  am  sure  ; 
and  it  was  her  resistance,  her  defense  of  poor  helpless 
me,  that  brought  this  cruel  death  upon  her.  Well, 
God's  will  be  done !  The  poor  girl  was  only  an 
ignorant  savage,  and  it  is  hardly  possible  that  she 
can  ever  have  heard  His  holy  name  mentioned  ;  but 
for  all  that  she  had  pity  upon  the  stranger  and  him 
who  had  no  helper,  and  I  cannot  but  believe  that 
she  will  therefor  receive  her  full  reward.  It  only 
remains  now  to  so  dispose  of  her  body  that  it  shall 
be  secure  from  violation  by  the  birds  of  the  air  and 
the  beasts  of  the  field.     But  how  is  that  to  be  done  ?  " 

He  might  well  ask.     We  had  neither  shovel  nor 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  195 

any  other  appliance  wherewith  to  dig  a  grave,  and 
it  was  obviously  impossible  to  do  so  with  our  bare 
hands  alone.  We  at  length  decided  to  burn  both 
the  bodies,  and  I  forthwith  set  about  the  construc- 
tion of  a  funeral  pyre.  Fortunately,  we  had  the 
forest  close  at  hand  ;  the  ground  beneath  the  trees 
was  abundantly  strewn  with  dry  leaves,  twigs,  and 
branches,  and  thus  I  had  not  far  to  go  for  fuel.  By 
the  time  that  darkness  closed  in  I  had  accumulated 
a  goodly  pile  close  to  the  edge  of  the  open  am])hi- 
theater,  and  thither  I  at  length  conveyed  both  the 
bodies,  laid  them  on  the  top  of  the  pyre,  and  fi- 
nally ignited  the  heap  of  dried  leaves  which  I  had 
arranged  in  the  center. 

This  done,  Smellie  came  out  of  the  hut,  and  we 
stood  side  by  side  mournfully  watching  the  crema- 
tory process.  Naturally,  we  were  very  keenly  dis- 
tressed at  the  untimely  and  tragic  fate  which  had 
overtaken  our  stanch  little  friend  Daphne.  She  had 
been  so  cheerful,  so  helpful,  and — particularly  dur- 
ing Smellie's  illness — so  tender,  so  gentle,  so  sympa- 
thetic, and  so  tireless  in  her  ministrations,  that  un- 
consciously to  ourselves,  we  had  acquired  for  her 
quite  a  fraternal  affection.  As  I  stood  there  watch- 
ing the  fierce,  bright  flames  which  were  steadily  re- 
ducing her  body  to  ashes  and  recalled  to  mind  the 
countless  services  she  had  rendered  us  during  the 
short  period  of  our  mutual  wanderings,  and,  above 
all,  the  fervent  compassion  which  had  moved  her  to 
a  voluntary  and  permanent  abandonment  of  home 
and  friends  for  the  sake  of  two  helpless  strangers  of 


196  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

a  race  entirely  alien  to  her  own,  my  heart  felt  as 
though  it  would  burst  with  sorrow  at  her  cruel  fate. 
As  for  Smellie,  trembling  with  weakness  and  de- 
pressed in  spirits  as  he  was  after  his  recent  sharp  at- 
tack of  fever,  he  completely  broke  down,  and,  lay- 
ing his  head  upon  my  shoulder,  sobbed  like  a  child. 
Poor  Daphne  !  it  seemed  hard  that  she  should  thus, 
in  the  first  bright  flush  and  glory  of  her  maidenhood, 
be  struck  down,  and  the  light  of  her  life  extinguished 
by  the  ruthless  hand  of  a  murderer ;  and  yet,  per- 
haps, after  all,  it  was  better  so,  better  that  she  should 
enjoy  the  bliss  of  laying  down  her  life  for  the  sake 
of  the  man  she  loved,  rather  than  that,  living  on, 
she  should  see  the  da}^  when  all  the  vague,  indefinite 
hopes  and  aspirations  of  her  innocent,  unso])histicated 
heart  would  crumble  into  ashes  in  a  moment,  and 
the  man  who,  all  unknowingly,  had  become  the  au- 
tocrat of  her  fate,  and  the  recipient  of  her  blind, 
passionate,  unreasoning  love  should  lightly  and  smil- 
ingly bid  her  an  eternal  farewell. 

At  length  the  fire  died  down,  the  crematory  proc- 
ess was  completed ;  nothing  remained  of  the  pyre 
and  its  burden  but  a  smouldering  heap  of  gray,  flaky 
ashes;  and  we  returned  sorrowfully  to  our  hut, 
there  to  forget  in  sleep,  if  we  could,  the  grievous 
loss  we  had  sustained. 

The  painful  incident  of  Daphne's  death  produced 
so  distressing  an  effect  upon  Smellie  in  his  feeble 
condition  that  another  week  passed  away  before  he 
was  sufficiently  recovered  to  admit  of  our  resuming 
our  journey.     By  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  his 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  197 

strength  had  in  some  measure  returned,  and  a  fever- 
ish anxiety  to  get  away  from  the  scene  of  the  tragedy 
having  taken  possession  of  him,  we  made  what  few 
preparations  we  had  it  in  our  power  to  make  and  got 
under  weigh  directly  after  breakfast  on  one  of  the 
most  delightful  mornings  it  has  ever  been  my  good 
fortune  to  witness.  - 

Our  progress  was,  of  course,  painfully  slow  ;  but 
by  this  time  speed  Avas  a  matter  of  merely  secondary 
importance,  since  we  knew  that  we  must  long  since 
have  been  given  up  by  our  shipmates  as  dead  ;  and 
that  the  Dapline  was,  in  all  probability,  hundreds 
of  miles  away  in  an  unknown  direction.  It  was 
quite  possible  that  on  reaching  the  river's  mouth  we 
might  have  to  wait  weeks,  or  even  months,  before 
she  would  again  make  her  appearance  and  give  us  an 
opportunity  to  rejoin. 

Day  after  day  we  plodded  on  through  the  glorious 
forest,  following  no  pathway,  but  shaping  a  course 
as  directly  west  as  circumstances  would  permit, 
meeting  with  no  incidents  w^orthy  of  mention,  pick- 
ing up  a  sufficient  subsistence  without  much  trouble, 
our  way  beguiled  by  glorious  prospects  of  wood  and 
river,  and  our  curiosity  fed  by  the  countless  strange 
glimpses  into  the  secrets  of  nature  afforded  us  as  w^e 
wended  our  way  through  that  lonely  wilderness. 
We  slept  well  at  night  in  spite  of  the  babel  of  sounds 
which  rose  and  fell  around  us ;  awoke  in  the  morning 
refreshed  and  hungry  ;  and  so  entered  upon  another 
day.  The  life  was  by  no  means  one  of  hardship ; 
and  what  was  most  important  of  all,  Smellie  was 


198  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

slowly  but  steadily  regaining  strength  and  progress- 
ing toward  recovery. 

At  length,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day 
from  that  which  had  witnessed  the  resumption  of  our 
journey,  our  wanderings  came  unexpectedly  to  an 
end,  for  a  time  at  least,  by  our  stumbling,  in  the 
most  unexpected  manner  in  the  world,  upon  a  human 
habitation.  And  the  strangest  as  well  as  the  most 
fortunate  part  of  it  was  that  the  habitation  in  ques- 
tion was  the  abode  of  civilized  humanity.  We  had 
been  traveling,  almost  uninterruptedly,  along  the 
ridge  of  a  range  of  hills,  and  on  the  afternoon  in 
question  had  reached  a  spot  where  the  range  took 
an  abrupt  turn  to  the  southward,  curving  round  in  a 
sort  of  arm  which  encircled  a  basin  or  valley  of  per- 
haps half  a  mile  in  width,  open  to  the  river  on  the 
north  side.  The  hillside  sloped  gently  down  to  the 
valley-bottom  on  the  eastern,  southern,  and  western 
sides,  and  was  much  more  thickly  wooded  than  the 
country  through  which  we  had  hitherto  been  pass- 
ing. In  the  very  thickest  part  of  the  wood,  how- 
ever, and  about  half  way  down  the  slope,  was  a 
clearing  of  some  ten  acres  in  extent,  and  in  the  center 
of  the  clearing  a  very  neat  and  pretty  looking  house, 
with  a  veranda  running  all  round  it,  and  a  thatched 
roof.  The  clearing  itself  appeared  to  be  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  a  flower-garden  of  about  an  acre 
in  extent  lying  immediately  in  front  of  the  house, 
whilst  the  remainder  of  the  ground  was  thickly 
planted  with  coffee,  peach,  banana,  orange,  and  va- 
rious other  fruit-trees. 


FAITHFUL    UNTO    DEATH.  IQ9 

We  lost  no  time  in  making  our  way  to  this  very 
desirable  haven,  and  had  scarcely  passed  through  the 
gate  in  the  fence  which  surrounded  the  clearing 
when  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  encounter  the 
proprietor  himself.  He  was  a  very  fine,  handsome 
specimen  of  a  man,  with  snow-white  hair  and 
mustache,  both  closely  cropped,  and  an  otherwise 
clean-shaven  face,  Avhich,  with  his  neck  and  hands, 
were  deeply  bronzed  by  exposure  to  the  vertical  rays 
of  the  sun.  He  was  clad  in  white  flannel,  his  head 
being  protected  by  a  light  and  very  finely  woven 
grass  hat  with  an  enormous  brim,  whilst  his  feet 
were  encased  in  a  pair  of  slippers  of  soft  untanned 
leather.  He  was  busily  engaged  among  his  coffee- 
trees  when  he  first  caught  sight  of  us  ;  and  his  start 
of  surprise  at  our  extraordinary  appearance  was 
closely  followed  up  by  a  profound  bow  as  he  at  once 
came  forward  and  courteously  addressed  us  in  Span- 
ish. Unhappily  neither  Smellie  nor  I  understood 
a  word  of  the  language,  so  the  second  lieutenant 
answered  the  hail  in  French.  The  old  gentleman 
shook  his  head  and,  I  thought,  looked  rather  an- 
noyed, whereupon  Smellie  tried  him  in  English,  to 
which,  very  much  to  my  surprise,  I  must  confess,  he 
responded  with  scarcely  a  trace  of  accent. 

"  Welcome,  gentlemen,  welcome  !  "  he  exclaimed, 
with  outstretched,  hand.  "  So  you  are  English  ? 
Well,  after  all,  I  might  have  guessed  it.  I  am  glad 
you  are  not  French — very  glad.  Do  me  the  honor 
to  consider  my  house  and  everything  it  contains  as 
your  own.     You  have  met  with  some  serious  misfor- 


200  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

tune,  I  grieve  to  see ;  but  if  you  will  allow  him,  Man- 
uel Carnero  will  do  his  best  to  repair  it.  You  have 
evidently  suffered  much  and  appear  to  be  in  as  urgent 
need  of  medical  attendance  as  you  are  of  clothing. 
Fortunately,  I  can  supply  you  with  both,  and  shall 
be  only  too  happy  to  do  so ;  I  have  a  very  great  re- 
gard for  the  English.  Come,  gentlemen,  allow  me 
to  conduct  you  to  the  house." 

So  saying,  he  escorted  us  up  the  pathway  until  the 
house  was  reached,  when,  stepping  quickly  before  us 
he  passed  through  the  open  doorway,  and  then,  turn- 
ing round,  once  more  bad  us  welcome  to  his  roof. 


DONA  ANTONIA.        .  201 


CHAPTEE  XII. 


DONA       ANTONIA. 


The  ceremony  of  bidding  us  formal  welcome  hav- 
ing been  duly  performed  to  Don  Manuel's  satisfac- 
tion, he  turned  once  more  and  called  in  stentorian 
tones  for  some  invisible  individual  named  Pedro, 
who,  quickly  making  his  appearance  in  the  shape  of 
a  grave,  decorous-looking  elderly  man  servant,  re- 
ceived certain  instructions  in  Spanish  ;  after  which 
our  host,  turning  to  us,  informed  us  that  his  valet 
would  have  the  honor  of  showing  us  to  our  rooms. 
Thereupon  the  sedate  and  respectful  Pedro,  who 
was  far  too  well-trained  a  servant  to  betray  the  slight- 
est symptoms  of  surprise  at  our  exceedingly  disrepu- 
table appearance,  led  the  way  to  two  small  but 
pleasantly  situated  rooms  adjoining  each  other,  and, 
bowing  profoundly  to  each  of  us  as  we  passed  into 
our  respective  apartments,  closed  the  door  and  with- 
drew. 

The  rooms  in  question  were  furnished  with  bed, 
washstand,  dressing  table,  etc.,  precisely  in  the 
English  fashion  ;  but  the  floors  instead  of  being 
covered  with  carpets,  were  bare,  save  for  a  large  and 
handsome  grass  mat  which  occupied  the  center  of 


202  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  room.  I  flung  myself  into  a  chair  and  was  gaz- 
ing complacently  about  me,  congratulating  myself 
upon  the  good  fortune  which  had  guided  our  wander- 
ing feet  to  such  exceedingly  comfortable  quarters, 
w^hen  I  heard  Smellie's  door  open  and  the  next 
moment  caught  the  tones  of  Don  Manuel's  voice. 
Directly  afterwards  a  knock  came  to  my  own  door,  and 
upon  my  shouting,  "  Come  in,"  Pedro  reappeared, 
bearing  upon  his  arm  what  proved  to  be  a  complete 
rig-out  from  stem  to  stern,  including  even  a  hat  and 
a  pair  of  shoes.  These  he  spread  out  upon  the  bed, 
and  then  once  more  withdrew. 

I  took  the  garments  and  looked  at  them.  They 
were  just  about  m^^  size,  a  trifle  large,  perhaps,  but 
nothing  worth  speaking  about ;  they  had  evidently 
been  worn  before,  but  Avere  in  excellent  condition, 
beautifully  clean,  and  altogether  so  inviting  that  I 
lost  no  time  in  exchanging  them  for  my  rags.  This 
exchange,  in  addition  to  a  pretty  thorough  ablution, 
made  quite  a  new  man  of  me ;  I  felt  actually 
comfortable  once  more,  for  the  first  time  since  leav- 
ing the  Daphne  on  the  occasion  of  that  unfortunate 
night  attack. 

Smellie  was  still  in  his  room,  for  I  could  hear  him 
moving  about,  so  I  went  in,  curious  to  know  whether 
he  had  fared  equally  well  with  myself.  I  found 
him  struggling,  with  Pedro's  assistance,  sloAvly  and 
rather  painfully  into  a  somewhat  similar  suit  to 
that  which  I  had  donned;  but  the  poor  fellow, 
though  still  very  thin  and  haggard,  looked  brighter, 
better  and  altoo:ether  more  comfortable  than  I  had 


DONA   ANTONIA.  203 

seen  him  for  a  long  time,  our  new  friend,  Don 
Manuel,  having  personally  dressed  his  wounds  for 
him  before  turning  him  over  to  the  hands  of  Pedro. 

The  second  lieutenant  looked  at  me  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Why,  Hawkesley,  is  that  j^ou  ?  "     he  exclaimed, 

"Upon  my  word,  young  gentleman,  you  look 
vastly  comfortable  and  vastly  well,  too,  in  your 
borrowed  plumes.  Why,  you  are  worth  a  dozen 
dead  men  yet." 

"  I  think  I  may  say  the  same  of  you,  my  dear 
sir,"  I  replied,  "  I  am  heartily  glad  to  see  so  great 
a  change  in  your  appearance." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  he  returned,  "  Yes,  I 
feel  actually  comfortable  once  more,  Don  Manuel 
has  dressed  and  bound  up  my  wounds,  applying 
soothing  salves  to  them,  and  altogether  tinkering  me 
up  until  I  am  pretty  nearly  as  good  as  new.  But, 
Hawkesley,  my  dear  boy,  are  we  in  our  sober  senses, 
or  is  this  only  a  delightful  dream  ?  I  can  scarcely 
realize  that  I  am  awake ;  that  we  are  actually  among 
our  fellow-men  once  more ;  and  that  I  am  surrounded 
by  the  walls  and  sheltered  by  the  roof  of  a  material 
house,  in  which,  as  it  seems  to  me,  we  are  likely  to 
enjoy  a  good  many  of  the  comforts  of  civilization. 
But  come,"  as  he  settled  himself  into  a  loose,  white 
flannel  jacket,  "let  us  join  our  host,  who,  I  have 
reason  to  believe,  is  awaiting  our  presence  at  his  din- 
ner-table. Heave  ahead,  Pedro,  my  lad  ;  we're  quite 
ready  to  weigh," 

Pedro   might   have   understood    Smellie's    every 


204  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

word,  so  promptly  did  he  fling  open  tlie  door  and 
bow  us  to  follow  him.  Leading  us  along  a  cool  and 
rather  dark  corridor,  he  conducted  us  to  the  front 
part  of  the  house,  and  throwing  open  the  door  of  a 
large  and  very  handsomely  furnished  apartment, 
loudly  announced  us  in  Spanish  as  what  I  took  to  be 
"  the  English  hidalgos." 

Don  Manuel  was  awaiting  us  in  this  room,  and  on 
our  entrance  rose  to  greet  us  with  that  lofty  yet 
graceful  courtesy  which  seems  peculiar  to  the  Span- 
iard.    Then  turning  slightly  he  said  : 

"  Allow  me,  gentlemen,  to  present  to  you  my 
daughter  Antonia,  the  only  member  of  my  family 
remaining  to  me.  Antonia,  these  are  two  English 
gentlemen  who,  I  trust,  will  honor  us  so  far  as  to 
remain  our  guests  for  some  time  to  come." 

We  duly  bowed  in  response  to  her  graceful  curtsey, 
and  her  few  words  of  welcome,  spoken  in  the  most 
piquant  and  charming  of  broken  English,  and  then,  I 
believe,  went  in  to  dinner.  I  say  I  helieve  we  went 
in  to  dinner  on  that  eventful  evening,  because  I  know 
it  was  intended  that  we  should;  but  I  have  no 
recollection  whatever  of  having  partaken  of  the 
meal.  For  the  rest  of  that  evening  I  was  conscious 
of  but  one  tiling — the  presence  of  Antonia  Carnero. 

How  shall  I  describe  her  ? 

She  was  of  medium  height,  with  a  superbly  mold- 
ed figure,  neither  too  stout  nor  too  slim ;  a  small, 
well-poised  head  crowned  with  an  immense  quantity 
of  very  dark,  wavy,  chesnut  hair,  having  a  golden 
gleam  where  the  light  fell  upon  it  but  black  as  night 


DONA   ANTONIA.  205 

in  its  shadows  ;  dark,  finely  arched  eyebrows  sur- 
mounting a  pair  of  perfectly  glorious,  brilliant,  dark- 
brown  eyes,  now  sparkling  with  merriment  and  anon 
melting  with  deepest  tenderness ;  very  long,  thick, 
dark  eyelashes ;  a  nose  the  merest  trifle  retrousse  ; 
a  daintily-shaped  mouth  with  full,  ripe,  ruddy  lips ; 
and  a  prettily  rounded  chin  with  a  well-developed 
dimple  in  its  center.  Her  voice  was  musical  as  that 
of  a  bird ;  her  complexion  was  a  clear,  pale  olive ; 
her  movements  were  as  graceful  and  unrestrained  as 
those  of  a  gazelle ;  and  she  was  only  eighteen  years 
of  age,  though  she  looked  more  like  two-and-twenty. 
We  were  a  very  pleasant  party  at  dinner  that 
evening.  Don  Manuel  was  simply  perfect  as  a  host, 
courteously  and  watchfully  attentive  to  our  slight- 
est Avants,  and  frankness  itself  in  his  voluntary 
explanation  of  the  why  and  the  wherefore  of  his 
establishment  of  himself  in  such  an  out-of-the-way 
place.  Antonia,  whilst  not  taking  any  very  prom- 
inent part  in  the  conversation,  struck  in  now  and 
then  with  a  suggestive,  explanatory,  or  playful  re- 
mark, showing  that  she  was  both  attentive  to  and 
interested  in  the  conversation,  Smellie,  more  easy 
and  comfortable,  both  in  mind  and  bod 3^,  than  he 
had  been  for  many  a  day,  abandoned  himself  to  the 
pleasant  influences  of  his  surroundings  and  bore  his 
part  like  the  cultured  English  gentleman  he  was  ; 
his  deep,  rich,  melodious  voice,  easy,  graceful  bear- 
ing, commanding  figure,  and  handsome  face,  still 
pale  and  wan  from  his  recent  sufferings,  evidently 
proving  immensely   attractive   to    Dona    Antonia, 


206  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

much  to  my  secret  disgust.  As  for  me,  I  am  afraid 
I  did  little  more  than  sit  a  silent  worshiper  at  the 
shrine  of  this  sylvan  beauty  upon  whom  we  had  so 
unexpectedly  stumbled. 

Don  Manuel  informed  us  that,  though  a  Spaniard 
by  birth,  he  had  spent  so  many  years  in  England 
that  all  his  tastes  and  sympathies  had  become  thor- 
oughly Anglicized ;  that  his  second  wife,  Doiia 
Antonia's  mother,  had  been  an  Englishwoman  ;  that 
he  was  an  enthusiastic  naturalist ;  and  that  he  had 
chosen  the  banks  of  the  Congo  for  his  home  princi- 
pally in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  study  fully 
and  at  his  leisure  the  fauna  and  flora  of  that  little- 
known  region ;  adding  parenthetically  that  he  had 
found  the  step  not  only  a  thoroughly  agreeable  but 
also  a  fairly  profitable  one,  by  doing  a  little  occa 
sional  business  with  the  whites  who  frequented  the 
river,  on  the  one  hand,  and  with  the  natives,  on  the 
other.  I  thought  he  looked  a  trifle  discomposed 
when  Smellie  informed  him  that  we  Avere  English 
naval  officers,  and  I  am  quite  sure  he  did  when  he 
was  further  informed  that  w^e  had  been  in  the  hands 
of  the  natives.  A  very  perceptible  shade  of  anxiety 
clouded  his  features  when  Smellie  recounted  our 
adventures  from  the  moment  of  our  leaving  the 
Daphne  ',  and  once  or  twice  he  shook  his  head  in  a 
manner  which  seemed  to  suggest  the  idea  that  he 
thought  we  might  perhaps  prove  to  be  rather  dan- 
gerous guests,  under  all  the  circumstances.  If,  how- 
ever, an}'-  such  idea  really  entered  his  mind  he  was 
careful  to  restrain  all  expression  of  it,  and  at  the 


DONA   ANTONIA.  207 

end  of  Smellie's  narrative  he  uttered  just  the  few 
courteous  phrases  of  polite  concern  which  seemed 
appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  then  allowed  the 
subject  to  drop.  Dofia  Antonia,  on  the  contrary, 
evinced  a  most  lively  interest  in  the  story,  her  face 
lighting  up  and  her  eyes  flashing  as  she  asked  ques- 
tion after  question,  and  her  parted  lips  quivering 
Avith  excitement  and  sympathetic  apprehension  as 
Smellie  lightly  touched  upon  the  critical  situations 
in  which  we  had  once  or  twice  found  ourselves.  To 
my  great  surprise,  and,  I  may  add,  disappointment, 
however,  she  did  not  exhibit  very  much  sympathy 
in  poor  Daphne's  tragic  fate  ;  on  the  contrary,  she 
appeared  to  me  to  listen  with  a  feeling  closely  akin 
to  impatience  to  all  that  part  of  the  story  with 
which  the  negro  girl  was  connected,  and  Smellie's 
frequent  mention  of  the  poor  unfortunate  creature 
actually  elicited  once  or  twice  a  slight  but  quite 
unmistakable  shrug  of  the  lovely  shoulders,  and  de- 
cidedly contemptuous  flash  from  the  glorious  eyes 
of  his  fair  auditor. 

I  may  as  well  at  once  confess  frankly  that,  with 
the  usual  susceptibility  of  callow  youth,  I  promptly 
became  captivated  by  the  charms  of  our  lovely  host- 
ess ;  and  I  may  as  well  complete  my  confession  b}^ 
stating  that,  with  the  equally  usual  overweening 
conceit  of  callow  youth,  I  quite  expected  to  find  my 
clumsy  and  ill-timed  efforts  to  render  myself  agree- 
able to  my  charmer  speedily  successful.  In  this 
expectation,  however,  I  was  doomed  to  be  grievously 
disappointed ;    for   I   soon   discovered   that,  whilst 


208  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Dona  Antonia  was  good-natured  enough  to  receivQ 
my  awkward  attentions  with  unvarying  patience  and 
politeness,  it  was  Smellie's  footstep  and  the  sound  of 
his  voice  which  caused  her  eyes  to  sparkle,  her  cheek 
to  flush,  and  her  bosom  to  heave  turaultuously.  So, 
in  extreme  disgust  at  the  lady's  deplorable  lack  of 
taste  and  discernment,  I  was  fain  to  abandon  my 
efforts  to  fascinate  her,  attaching  myself  to  her 
father  instead  and  accompanying  him,  gun  in  hand, 
on  his  frequent  rambles  through  the  forest  in  search 
of  "  specimens." 

Returning  to  the  house  one  evening  rather  late, 
we  found  a  stranger  awaiting  Don  Manuel's  arrival. 
That  is  to  say,  he  was  a  stranger  to  Smellie  and 
myself,  but  he  was  evidently  a  tolerably  intimate 
acquaintance  of  our  host  and  hostess.  He  was  a  tall, 
dark,  handsome,  well-built  man,  evidently  a  Span- 
iard, with  black,  restless,  gleaming  eyes,  a  well-knit 
figure,  and  a  manner  so  very  free-and-easy  as  to  be 
almost  offensive.  His  attire  consisted  of  a  loose 
jacket  of  fine  blue  cloth  garnished  with  gold  buttons, 
a  fine  linen  shirt  of  snowy  whiteness,  loose  white, 
nankeen  trousers  confined  at  the  waist  by  a  crimson 
silk  sash,  and  a  pair  of  canvas  slippers  on  his  other- 
wise naked  feet.  He  wore  a  pair  of  gold  rings  in 
his  small,  well-shaped  ears,  and  the  gold-mounted 
horn  handle  of  what  was  doubtless  a  stiletto  peeped 
unobtrusively  from  among  the  folds  of  his  sash.  A 
crimson  cap  of  knitted  silk  with  a  tassel  of  the  same 
depending  from  its  pointed  crown  lay  on  a  chair  near 
hi]       nd  completed  a  costume  which,  whilst  it  un- 


DONA  ANTONIA.  209 

doubtedly  set  off  his  very  fine  figure  to  advantage, 
struck  me  as  being  of  a  somewhat  theatrical  char- 
acter. Don  Manuel  greeted  him  in  Spanish  with 
effusion,  and  yet  with — I  thought — a  faint  suspicion 
of  uneasiness,  on  our  entrance,  and  then  introduced 
him  to  Smellie  and  me  in  English,  as  Seiior  Garcia 
Madera.  He  bowed  stiffly  in  acknowledgment, 
murmured  something  to  the  effect  that  he  "no  speak 
Inglese,"  and  then  rather  rudely  turned  his  back 
upon  us,  and  addressing  Doiia  Antonia  in  Spanish, 
evidently  laid  himself  out  to  play  the  agreeable  to 
her. 

I  think  we  all — except  Senor  Madera — felt  slightly 
uncomfortable  at  dinner  and  for  the  remainder  of 
that  evening.  Don  Manuel  indeed  strove  with  all 
his  might  to  promote  and  encourage  general  conver- 
sation, but  his  behavior  lacked  that  graceful  ease 
which  usually  characterized  it,  his  manner  was  con- 
strained ;  he  was  obviously  making  an  effort  to  dissi- 
pate the  slight  suggestion  of  discord  which  obsti- 
nately asserted  itself  in  the  social  atmosphere,  and  I 
could  see  that  he  was  a  little  ruffled  at  finding  his 
efforts  unsuccessful.  As  for  Antonia,  it  was  easy  to 
see  that  the  new  guest  was  to  her  an  unwelcome  one, 
and  his  persevering  attentions  distasteful  to  her; 
yet,  either  because  he  was  a  guest  or  for  some  other 
cogent  reason,  she  evidently  did  her  best  to  be 
agreeable  and  conciliatory  to  the  man,  casting,  how- 
ever, slight  furtive  deprecatory  glances  in  Smellie's 
direction,  from  time  to  time,  as  she  did  so. 

Senor  Madera — who  was  evidently  a  seamr*  c'-'^hd 
14 


210  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

not  improbably  the  master  of  a  slaver — remained 
the  guest  of  Don  Manuel  for  the  night,  sleeping 
under  his  roof,  and  taking  his  departure  very  early 
next  morning,  before  either  Smellie  or  I  had  turned 
out,  in  fact.  On  our  making  our  appearance  Don 
Manuel  referred  to  his  late  visitor,  explaining  that 
he  commanded  a  ship  which  traded  regularly  to  the 
river,  and  was  one  of  the  few  individuals  through 
whom  he  maintained  communication  with  his  native 
country.  He  apologized  very  gracefully  for  his 
acquaintance's  brusque  behavior  of  the  night  before, 
which,  whilst  deprecating,  he  explained  by  attribut- 
ing it  to  a  feeling  of  jealousy,  Madera  having,  it 
would  appear,  exhibited  a  decided  disposition  to  pay 
serious  attention  to  Doiia  Antonia  during  his  last 
two  or  three  visits.  And — Don  Manuel  suffg'ested 
— being  like  the  rest  of  his  countrymen,  of  an  ex- 
ceedingly jealous  disposition,  it  was  possible  that  he 
would  feel  somewhat  anno3^ed  at  finding  two  gentle- 
men domiciled  beneath  the  same  roof  as  his  in- 
amorata. At  this  Smellie  drew  himself  up  rather 
haughtily,  and  was  beginning  to  express  his  profound 
regret  that  our  presence  in  the  house  should  prove 
the  means  of  introducing  a  discordant  element  into 
an  affair  of  so  delicate  a  nature,  when  Don  Manuel 
interrupted  him  by  assuring  us  both  that  he  regarded 
the  circumstance  as  rather  fortunate  than  otherwise, 
since,  however  much  he  might  esteem  Seiior  Madera 
as  an  acquaintance  and  a  man  of  business,  he  was 
by  no  means  the  class  of  person  to  whom  he  Avould 
be  disposed  to  confide  the  happiness  of  his  daughter. 


DONA   ANTONIA.  211 

This  little  apology  and  explanation  having  been 
made,  the  party  separated,  Smellie  retiring  to  the 
verandah  with  a  book  to  study  Spanish,  while  Don 
Manuel  and  I  trudged  off  with  our  guns  and  butter- 
fly-nets as  usual. 

On  our  return  we  found  that  Madera  had  ag-ain 
put  in  an  appearance,  and  another  evening  of  con- 
straint and  irritation  w^as  the  result.  This  occurred 
also  on  the  third  evening,  after  which,  for  a  short 
time,  Senor  Madera  apparently  conscious  of  the  fact 
that  his  company  was  not  altogether  desirable, 
relieved  us  of  his  presence. 

Just  at  this  time  it  happened  unfortunately — or 
fortunately  rather  as  the  event  proved — that  Don 
Manuel  was  confined  to  the  house,  his  hand  having 
been  badly  stung  by  some  poisonous  insect,  and  I 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  make  an  ex- 
ploration of  the  neighborhood.  We  had  of  course 
taken  an  early  opportunity  to  acquaint  Don  Manuel 
with  our  expectation  that  the  Daphne  would  again 
visit  the  river  at  no  very  distant  period,  and  that 
whenever  such  an  event  occurred  we  should  make  a 
very  strenuous  effort  to  rejoin  her ;  and  he  had 
promised  to  use  every  means  that  lay  in  his  power 
to  procure  for  us  timely  notice  of  her  arrival,  point- 
ing out  at  the  same  time  the  paucity  of  his  sources 
of  information,  and  suggesting  that  whilst  it  would 
afford  him  unmingled  pleasure  to  retain  us  as  his 
guests  for  an  indefinite  period  it  would  be  well  for 
us,  when  w^e  yvere  quite  tired  of  our  sojourn  ashore, 
to  ourselves  keep  a  lookout  for  the  appearance  of  the 


212  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ship.  So  on  the  occasion  of  Don  Manuel's  accident, 
finding  Smellie  unwilling — as  indeed  he  was  still 
unable — to  take  a  long  walk,  I  determined,  as  I  have 
already  said,  to  make  a  thorough  exploration  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  at  the  same  time  endeavor  to 
ascertain  whether  the  Dajjhne  was  once  more  in  the 
river. 

Madera's  appearance  at  Don  Manuel's  house, 
coupled  with  the  evident  fact  that  he  w^as  a  seaman, 
had  at  once  suggested  to  me  the  strong  probability 
that  there  must  be  a  navigable  creek  at  no  very 
great  distance ;  and  I  thought  it  might  be  useful  to 
ascertain  whether  such  actually  was  or  was  not  the 
case,  and — in  the  event  of  this  question  being  decided 
in  the  affirmative— also  to  ascertain  the  precise 
locality  of  the  said  creek.  Of  course  it  w^ould  have 
been  a  very  simple  matter  to  put  the  question 
directly  to  Don  Manuel ;  but  he  had  evinced  such 
very  palpable  embarrassment  and  reticence  when- 
ever Madera's  name  had  been  mentioned  that  I 
thought  it  would  be  better  to  rely,  in  the  first 
instance  at  all  events,  upon  my  own  personal  in- 
vestigations. So  when  I  left  the  house  that  morn- 
ing it  was  with  the  determination  to  settle  this  ques- 
tion before  turning  my  attention  to  anything  else. 

At  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  from  the  house 
the  level  ridge  of  the  chain  of  hills  was  interrupted 
by  a  lofty  hummock,  rising  some  two  hundred  feet 
higher  than  the  hills  themselves,  affording  a  capital 
lookout ;  and  to  this  spot  I  first  of  all  directed  my 
steps.     On  arriving  at  the  place,  how^ever,  I  found 


DONA   ANTONIA.  213 

the  growth  of  timber  to  be  so  thick  as  to  completely 
exclude  the  prospect ;  and  the  only  means  whereby 
I  could  take  advantage  of  my  superior  elevation, 
therefore,  was  to  climb  a  tree.  I  accordingly  looked 
about  me,  and  at  last  picked  out  an  immense  fellow 
whose  towering  height  seemed  to  promise  me  an 
uninterrupted  view  ;  and,  aided  by  the  tough,  rope- 
like creepers  which  depended  from  its  branches,  I 
soon  reached  its  top.  From  this  commanding 
position  I  obtained,  as  I  had  expected,  an  unbroken 
view  of  the  country  all  round  me  for  a  distance  of 
at  least  thirty  miles.  The  river  was  naturally  a 
prominent  object  in  the  landscape,  and,  exactly  op- 
posite me,  was  about  three  miles  in  width,  though, 
in  consequence  of  the  numerous  islands  which 
crowded  its  channel,  the  water-way  was  scarcely 
anywhere  more  than  half  a  mile  in  width.  These 
islands  ceased  about  four  miles  lower  down  the 
river,  leaving  the  channel  perfectly  clear ;  but  they 
extended  up  the  river  in  an  unbroken  chain  to  the 
very  limits  of  my  horizon.  But  what  gratified  me 
most  was  the  discovery  that  in  clear  weather,  such 
as  happened  to  prevail  just  then,  I  could  see  right 
down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Shark  Point  being 
just  discernible  on  the  western  horizon.  Boolam- 
bemba  Point  was  clearly  defined ;  and  I  felt  con- 
vinced that,  on  a  fine  day  and  with  a  good  telescope, 
I  should  be  able  to  see  and  even  to  identify  the 
Daphne^  should  she  happen  to  be  at  anchor  in 
Banana  Creek  at  the  time. 

This  important  point  settled,  I  turned  my  atten- 


214  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

tion  to  matters  nearer  at  hand,  and  began  to  look 
about  me  for  the  creek,  the  existence  of  which  I  so 
strongly  suspected.  For  a  few  minutes  I  was  un- 
able to  locate  it ;  but  suddenly  my  eye,  wandering 
over  the  vast  sea  of  vegetation  which  lay  spread  out 
beneath  me,  became  arrested  by  the  appearance  of 
a  slender,  straight  object  projecting  a  few  feet  above 
the  tree-tops.  A  careful  scrutiny  of  this  object 
satisfied  me  that  it  must  be  the  mast-head  of  a  ship ; 
and  where  the  ship  was,  there,  too,  would  be  the 
creek.  Doubtless  the  craft  lying  there  so  snug,  and 
in  so  suspiciously  secret  a  harbor,  was  the  one  to 
which  our  rather  insolent  acquaintance,  Madera,  be- 
longed ;  and  curiosity  strongly  prompted  me  to  have 
a  look  at  her.  Accordingly,  taking  her  bearings  by 
the  position  of  the  sun,  I  descended  the  tree  and  set 
out  upon  my  quest. 

I  estimated  that  she  was  distant  from  my  view- 
point about  two  miles,  and  about  one  mile  from  Don 
Manuel's  house.  A  walk  of  perhaps  three  quarters 
of  an  hour  conducted  me  to  the  edge  of  a  mangrove 
swamp ;  and  I  knew  then  that  the  creek  must  be  at 
no  great  distance.  Plunging  boldly  into  the  swamp, 
I  made  my  way  as  best  I  could  over  the  tangled 
roots  in  what  I  deemed  the  proper  direction,  and 
after  a  toilsome  scramble  of  another  quarter  of  an 
hour  found  myself  at  the  water's  edge. 

The  creek  was  precisely  similar  in  character  to  all 
the  others  with  which  I  had  previously  made  ac- 
quaintance ;  but  so  narrow  and  shallow  at  the  point 
where  I  had  hit  it  off  that  I  saw  at  once,  to  my  vexa- 


DONA   ANTONIA.  2l5 

tion,  that  I  must  have  a  further  scramble  among  the 
mangrove-roots,  exposed  all  the  while  to  the  attacks 
of  countless  hosts  of  bloodthirsty  mosquitoes,  if  I 
would  gratify  my  desire  to  see  Senor  Madera's  vessel. 
And,  having  gone  so  far,  I  determined  not  to  turn 
back  until  I  had  satisfiecl  my  curiosity  ;  so  on  I  went. 
My  pace  over  such  broken  ground  was  naturally 
not  very  brisk,  so  that  it  was  fully  an  hour  later 
before  I  found  myself  standing — well  concealed  be- 
hind an  intervening  tree-trunk — opposite  a  small 
but  beautifully  modeled  schooner,  moored  head  and 
stern  close  alongside  the  opposite  bank.  She  was  a 
craft  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons  register, 
painted  gray,  with  very  lofty  spars,  topsail-rigged 
forward,  very  little  standing  rigging,  and  a  most 
wicked  look  all  over.  When  I  put  in  my  unobtru- 
sive appearance  the  crew  were  busy  with  a  couple  of 
long,  untrimmed  pine  spars,  the  ends  of  which  they 
Avere  getting  ashore.  A  few  minutes'  observation 
sufficed  to  satisfy  me  that  they  were  rigging  a  gang- 
way ;  and,  settling  myself  comfortably  in  a  position 
where  my  presence  could  not  be  detected,  I  deter- 
mined to  see  the  matter  out.  I  looked  carefully  for 
Senor  Madera  on  board,  but  was  unable  to  detect 
his  presence;  I  therefore  concluded  that,  unlikely 
as  such  a  supposition  seemed,  he  had  left  the  ship  to 
make  an  early  call  upon  Don  Manuel. 

The  gangway  was  soon  rigged,  and  after  testing 
it  by  passing  along  it  three  or  four  times  one  of  the 
schooner's  crew  disappeared  in  the  bush.  A  quarter 
of  an  hour  later  he  returned,  closely  followed  by  a 


2l6  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

number  of  armed  natives  in  charge  of  a  gang  of 
slaves,  who — poor  wretches — were  secured  together 
in  pairs  by  means  of  heavy  logs  of  wood  lashed  to 
their  necks.  These  slaves  were  mostly  men  ;  but  there 
were  a  few  young  women  with  them,  two  or  three 
of  whom  carried  quite  3'oung  babies  lashed  on  their 
backs.  And  every  slave,  not  excepting  the  women 
with  children,  was  loaded  with  one  large  or  two  small 
tusks  of  ivory.  These  unfortunates  were  driven 
straight  on  board  the  schooner,  the  ivory  was  taken 
from  them  as  they  reached  the  deck,  and  they  were 
driven  below ;  the  clink,  clink  of  hammers  which  im- 
mediately afterwards  proceeded  from  the  schooner's 
hold  bearing  witness  to  the  business-like  prompti- 
tude with  which  the  unhappy  creatures  w^ere  being 
secured.  I  counted  them  as  they  passed  in  over  tiie 
gangway  ;  they  numbered  sixty- three ;  and,  judging 
from  the  schooner's  size,  I  calculated  that  she  had 
accommodation  for  about  one  hundred  and  fifty ; 
her  cargo  being  therefore  incomplete,  I  feared  we 
should  be  called  upon  to  endure  Senor  Madera's 
presence  for  at  least  another  day  or  two.  The 
wretches  who  constituted  the  schooner's  crew  were 
a  very  noisy  set,  laughing,  chattering,  and  shouting 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  altogether  exhibiting 
by  their  utter  carelessness  a  perfect  consciousness 
of  the  fact  that  there  w^ere  no  men-o'-war  just  then 
anywhere  near  the  river.  How  heartily  I  wished 
there  had  been  a  pennant  of  some  sort  at  hand  ;  I 
felt  that  I  would  not  have  cared  Avhat  might  be  its 
nationality,  I  would  have  found  means  to  board  the 


DONA  ANTONIA.  217 

craft,  conveying  the  news  of  that  wretched  slaver's 
whereabouts,  and  afterwards  assisting,  if  possible, 
in  her  capture. 

I  remained  snugly  ensconced  in  my  hiding-place 
until  the  clearing  up  and  washing  down  of  the  decks 
informed  me  that  work  was  over  on  board  the 
schooner  for  that  day,  and  then  set  out  cautiously 
to  return  to  the  house.  I  managed  to  effect  a  retreat 
into  the  cover  of  the  bush  without  betraying  myself ; 
and  then,  moved  by  a  quite  uncontrollable  impulse, 
bent  my  steps  once  more  in  the  direction  of  the  hill- 
top, from  which  I  had  that  morning  effected  my 
reconnaissance — though  it  took  me  considerably  out 
of  my  way — determined  to  have  just  one  more  look 
round  before  settling  myself  for  the  evening. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  p.  m.  by  the  position  of 
the  sun  when  I  once  more  stood  beneath  the  over- 
shadowing foliage  of  the  tree  which  I  had  used  as 
an  observatory  ;  and  ten  minutes  later  I  found  my- 
self among  its  topmost  branches.  The  atmosphere 
was  luckily  still  quite  clear,  a  fresh  breeze  from  the 
eastward  having  prevailed  during  the  whole  of  that 
day ;  but  a  purplish  haze  was  gathering  on  the  west- 
ern horizon,  and  my  heart  leaped  into  my  mouth — to 
make  use  of  a  well-worn  figure  of  speech — when, 
standing  out  in  clear  relief  against  this  soft  purple- 
gray  background,  I  saw,  far  away  iu  the  south- 
western board,  the  gleaming  white  sails  of  a  ship 
stretching  in  towards  the  land  %mder  easy  canvas. 
It  was  this  latter  fact,  of  the  ship  being  under  easy 
canv^as,  which  so  greatly  gratified  me.     A  slaver  or 


2l8  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

an  ordinary  trader,  would  have  been  pressing  in 
under  every  stitch  that  would  draw— as  indeed  would 
a  man-o'-war  if  she  were  upon  some  definite  errand 
— but  only  a  man-o'-war  would  approach  the  land 
in  that  leisurely  manner  with  evening  close  at  hand. 
The  stranger  was  a  long  distance  off — perhaps  as 
much  as  twenty  miles — and  it  was,  of  course,  im- 
possible to  see  more  than  that  she  was  a  ship  of  some 
sort ;  but  I  had  by  that  time  acquired  experience 
enough  to  know,  from  the  tiny  white  speck  which 
gleamed  up  against  the  haze,  that  she  was  coming 
in  under  topsails  only.  What  would  I  not  have 
given  just  then  to  have  held  my  trusty  telescope  in 
my  hand  once  more  just  for  an  hour  or  so  ? 

Suddenly  I  remembered  having  one  day  seen  a 
very  fine  instrument  belonging  to  Don  Manuel  in  his 
own  especial  den.  It  was  really  an  astronomical 
telescope  ;  but,  like  many  similar  instruments,  it  was 
also  provided  with  a  terrestial  eyepiece,  for  I  had 
looked  through  it  across  the  river,  and  had  marveled 
at  its  far-reaching  power.  It  was  fitted  to  a  tri- 
pod stand,  but  could  be  disconnected  at  will ;  and 
the  bold  idea  presented  itself  to  me  of  borrowing 
this  instrument  for  a  short  time  in  order  to  ascertain, 
if  possible,  the  nationality  of  the  stranger.  It  was 
of  course  just  possible  that  she  might  be  English,  in 
which  event  it  would  manifestly  be  Smellie's  and  my 
own  duty  to  attempt  to  join  her. 

Full  of  this  idea  I  descended  hastily  to  the  ground 
and  made  my  way  with  all  speed  in  the  direction  of 
Don  Manuel's  house.     The  telescope  was  fortunately 


DONA   ANTONIA.  219 

in  the  place  where  I  expected  to  find  it ;  and,  discon- 
necting it  from  the  stand  and  tucking  it  into  its 
leather  case,  I  set  out  again  for  the  lookout  tree. 
Arrived  there,  I  slung  the  instrument  over  my 
shoulder  by  means  of  the  stout  leather  strap  attached 
to  the  case,  and  at  once  ascended  to  the  topmost 
branches  of  the  tree,  where,  selecting  a  good  sub- 
stantial limb  for  a  seat,  with  another  con^veniently 
situated  to  serve  as  a  rest  for  the  telescope,  I  com- 
fortably settled  myself  in  position,  determined  to 
ascertain  definitely,  if  possible  before  sunset,  what 
the  intentions  of  the  strange  sail  might  be. 

I  lost  no  time  in  extricating  the  instrument  from 
its  case  and  bringing  it  to  bear  upon  the  whit»  speck, 
which,  even  during  the  short  period  of  my  absence, 
had  perceptibly  changed  its  position,  thus  proving 
the  craft  to  be  a  smart  vessel  under  her  canvas.  I 
soon  had  her  focused,  but  found  to  my  intense 
disappointment  that,  owing  to  her  great  distance  and 
the  rarefied  condition  of  the  atmosphere,  due  to  the 
intense  heat  of  the  day,  I  was  unable  to  make  out 
very  much  more  in  the  shape  of  detail  than  was 
possible  with  the  naked  eye ;  the  craft,  as  seen 
through  the  telescope,  appearing  to  be  merely  a  wa- 
vering blot  of  creamy  white,  with  another  wavering 
blot  of  dark  color,  representing  the  hull,  below  it ; 
a  dark  line  with  a  spiral  motion  to  it,  which  made  it 
look  like  a  corkscrew,  representing  above  the  sails 
the  bare  topgallant  and  royal  masts.  This  was 
vexatious,  but  the  sun  was  still  fully  an  hour  high. 
By  the  time  that  he  would  reach  the  horizon  the 


2  20  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

craft  would  probably  be  some  seven  or  eight  miles 
nearer ;  the  atmosphere  was  cooling  and  becoming 
less  rarefied  every  minute,  and  I  was  sanguine  that 
before  darkness  set  in  I  should  succeed  in  getting 
such  a  view  of  the  stranger  as  would  enable  me  to 
form  a  tolerably  accurate  opinion  as  to  her  nation- 
ality and  intentions. 

Of  course  I  kept  my  eye  glued  almost  uninterrup- 
tedly to  the  eyepiece  of  the  instrument,  merely  with- 
drawing it  for  a  minute  or  so  occasionally  to  give  the 
visual  organ  a  rest.  And  gradually,  as  I  watched, 
the  wavering  motion  of  the  white  and  dark  blots 
decreased,  they  grew  less  blot-like  and  more  defined 
in  their  outlines,  and  finalf}^  I  succeeded  in  detecting 
the  fact  that  the  craft  sported  a  broad  white  ribbon 
along  her  sides.  Then  I  made  out  that  she  carried 
a  white  figure-head  under  the  heel  of  her  bowsprit ; 
next,  that  her  boats  were  painted  black  to  their  wa- 
ter-lines and  white  below,  and  so  one  detail  after 
another  emerg-ed  into  clear  definition  until  the  entire 
craft  stood  distinctly  revealed  in  the  field  of  the 
instrument.  By  this  time  I  was  all  aquiver  with 
excitement,  for  as  the  approaching  ship  showed  with 
ever-increasing  distinctness,  a  growing  conviction 
forced  itself  upon  me  that  many  of  her  details  were 
familiar  to  me.  Finally,  just  as  the  sun  was  hover- 
ing for  a  moment  like  a  great  ball  of  fire  upon  .the 
extreme  verge  of  the  purple  horizon,  the  stranger 
tacked.  The  smartness  with  which  she  was  ma- 
neuvered was  alone  almost  sufficient  to  proclaim  her 
as  English,  but  the  point  was  definitely  settled  by 


DONA   ANTONIA.  221 

my  catching  a  momentary  glimpse  of  St.  George's 
ensign  fluttering  at  her  peak  as  it  gleamed  in  the 
last  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  In  another  moment  she 
glided  gracefully  across  the  golden  track  of  the 
sinking  luminary,  her  every  spar  and  rope  clearly 
defined  and  black  as  ebony,  her  sharply  outlined 
sails  a  deep  rich  purple  against  the  gold,  and  the 
broad  white  ribbon  round  her  shapely  hull  just  dis- 
tinguishable. The  sun  vanished,  and  though  the 
western  horizon  immediately  in  his  wake  was  all 
aglow  with  gold  and  crimson,  the  light  at  once  began 
to  fade  rapidly  away.  I  looked  again  at  the  ship  : 
she  was  already  a  mass  of  pearly  gray,  with  a  row 
of  little  dark  gray  dots  along  her  side,  indicating  tlie 
position  of  her  ports.  I  took  advantage  of  the  last 
gleam  of  twilight  to  count  these  dots  twice  over. 
There  were  fourteen  of  them  along  her  starboard 
broadside,  indicating  that  she  was  a  28-gun  ship  ; 
she  was  ship-rigged,  and  this,  in  conjunction  with 
several  little  peculiarities  which  I  had  recognized 
connected  with  her  spars  and  rigging,  convinced  me 
that  she  was  actually  none  other  than  the  DajjJme. 
Another  look — I  could  just  distinguish  her  against 
the  soft,  velvety  blue-black  background  of  the  dark- 
ening sea,  but  I  saw  enough  to  satisfy  me  of  the 
correctness  of  my  surmise,  and  saw,  too,  that — 
happy  chance — she  was  clewing  up  her  courses  as 
though  about  to  lay  to  or  anchor  off  the  mouth  of 
the  river  for  the  night.  Then,  as  she  faded  more 
and  more  and  finally  vanished  from  the  field  of  the 
telescope,  I  closed  the  instrument  and  proceeded  to 


222  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

carefully  replace  it  in  its  case.  By  the  time  that  1 
had  done  this  the  glow  of  the  western  horizon  had 
faded  into  sober  gray,  the  sky  overhead  had  deep- 
ened into  a  magnificent  sapphire  blue  and  was  already 
becoming  thickly  studded  with  stars,  the  forest 
around  and  below  me  had  merged  into  a  great  shape- 
less mass  of  olive-black  foliage,  out  of  the  depths  of 
which  arose  the  deafening  whir  of  countless  millions 
of  insects ;  and  the  conclusion  forced  itself  upon  me 
that  it  was  high  time  I  should  see  about  effecting  a 
descent  from  my  lofty  perch  if  I  wished  to  do  so  in 
safety.  I  had  no  sooner  scrambled  down  into  the 
body  of  the  tree  than  I  found  myself  in  complete 
darkness,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  diflBculty  and 
no  little  danger  that  I  accomplished  the  remainder 
of  the  descent.  However,  I  managed  at  last  to  reach 
the  ground  without  mishap,  and,  taking  up  my  gun 
— which  I  had  placed  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree, 
and  without  which,  acting  upon  Don  Manuel's  advice, 
1  never  ventured  into  the  forest — I  turned  my  face 
homeward,  anxious  to  find  Smellie  and  acquaint  him 
with  the  state  of  affairs  without  a  moment's  unnec- 
essary delay. 

In  due  time  I  reached  the  gate  in  the  palisading 
which  surrounded  Don  Manuel's  garden  and  passed 
through.  In  the  brilliant  starlight  the  sandy  path 
which  led  up  to  the  house  Avas  distinctly  visible  be- 
tween the  rows  of  coffee  and  other  trees,  and  so  also 
were  two  figures,  a  short  distance  ahead  of  me,  saun- 
tering along  it  toward  the  house,  with  their  backs 
turned  to  me.     They  were  evidently  male  and  female, 


DONA  ANTONIA.  223 

and  were  walking  very  closely  together,  so  much  so 
indeed  that  I  felt  almost  certain  that  the  arm  of  the 
taller  of  the  two  figures  must  be  encircling  the  waist 
of  the  other,  and  from  the  height  of  the  one  and  the 
white  gleaming  garments  of  the  other  I  at  once  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  Smellie  and  Dona 
Antonia.  My  footsteps  were  of  course  quite  inau- 
dible on  the  light  sandy  soil,  and  the  couple  in  front 
of  me  were  consequently  in  a  state  of  blissful  igno- 
rance as  to  my  presence.  Had  they  been  aware  of  it 
I  am  a  little  doubtful  now  as  to  whether  it  would  have 
very  greatly  disturbed  their  equanimity.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  I  felt  a  certain  amount  of  delicacy  about 
advancing,  and  so  showing  them  that  I  had  been  an 
involuntary  witness  of  their  philandering,  so  I  softly 
stepped  aside  off  the  pathway  and  ensconced  myself 
behind  a  coffee-bush,  thinking  that  perhaps  they 
would  go  on  and  enter  the  house,  in  which  case  I 
could  follow  them  in  at  a  respectful  distance.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  they  did  not  enter,  they  would 
at  all  events  be  at  such  a  distance  from  me  when 
they  turned  that  I  might  safely  show  myself  with- 
out much  fear  of  disconcerting  either  of  them.  So 
thinking,  I  continued  to  watch  their  receding  figures, 
intending  to  step  back  into  the  pathway  as  soon  as 
they  were  at  a  sufficient  distance  from  me. 

But  before  they  had  traversed  half  the  distance 
between  the  gate  and  the  house  I  was  startled  at 
seeing  a  group  of  figures  suddenly  and  noiselessly 
emerge  upon  the  pathway  close  behind  them. 


224  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN    EVENTFUL   NIGHT. 

What  did  it  mean  ?  Who  were  they,  and  what 
could  they  possibly  Avant  ?  I  could  see  them  clearly 
enough  to  distinguish  that  they  wore  the  garments 
of  civilization ;  but  they  did  not  belong  to  the  house : 
Don  Manuel  had  only  two  men  in  his  service,  where- 
as, so  far  as  I  could  distinguish  in  the  uncertain 
light,  there  were  five  men  in  the  group  before  me. 
Then,  too,  their  actions  were  suspicious,  their  move- 
ments were  stealth}^,  and  it  looked  very  much  as 
though  they  were  dogging  the  footsteps  of  the 
couple  ahead  of  them  for  no  good  purpose.  I  did 
not  at  all  like  the  aspect  of  affairs,  so  quietly  disen- 
cumbering myself  of  the  telescope,  which  I  deposited 
on  the  ground,  I  grasped  my  gun,  and,  stepping  into 
the  pathway,  shouted  warningly  to  the  second  lieu- 
tenant : 

"  Look  out,  Mr.  Smellie,  you  are  being  followed !  " 
Immediately  there  was  a  shout  in  Spanish  of, 
"  Come  on,  men,  give  it  him !  "  and  the  group  made  a 
dash  at  Smellie  and  his  companion.  Then  followed 
an  exclamation  of  surprise  and  anger  in  Smellie's 
well-known  voice,  a  single  stifled  scream  from  Dona 
Antonia,  and  a  most  unmistakable  affray. 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  225 

"With  a  shout  I  dashed  up  the  path,  and  in  another 
minute  or  less  plunged  into  the  thick  of  the  melee. 
Smellie  was  beset  by  three  of  the  ruffians,  who  were 
slashing  viciously  at  him  with  long,  ugly-looking 
knives,  and  he  was  maintaining  a  gallant  defense 
with  the  aid  of  a  stout  stick,  the  assistance  of  which 
he  had  not  up  to  then  been  wholly  able  to  discard 
in  walking.  I  saw  that  if  he  was  to  be  saved  from 
a  serious,  perhaps  even  a  fatal  stab,  prompt  action 
was  necessar}^,  so  witliout  waiting  for  further  de- 
velopments, I  cocked  my  gun,  and,  making  a  lunge 
with  it  at  the  man  who  seemed  to  be  Smellie's  most 
formidable  antagonist,  pulled  the  trigger  just  as  the 
muzzle  struck  his  side,  and  poured  the  contents  of 
the  barrel  into  his  body.  At  such  very  close  quar- 
ters the  charge  of  shot  took  effect  like  a  bullet,  and 
the  fellow  staggered  backwards  and  fell  to  the 
ground  with  an  oath  and  an  agonized  exclamation 
in  Spanish  of  : 

"  Help,  my  men,  help  ;  I  am  shot !  " 

The  remaining  two  who  had  been  attacking  Smel- 
lie turned  at  this  to  assist  their  wounded  companion  ; 
and  the  second  lieutenant  and  I  thereupon  dashed 
down  the  path  after  the  other  two,  who  were  hurry- 
ing off  the  scene  with  all  speed,  carrying  Dona  An- 
tonia  bodily  away  with  them.  A  dozen  bounds  or 
so  and  we  were  up  with  them.  With  an  inarticu- 
late cry  of  rage,  Smellie  sprang  upon  the  man  near- 
est him  and  brought  his  stick  down  upon  the  fellow's 
head  with  such  tremendous  force  that  the  stout 
cudgel  shivered  to  pieces  in  his  hand,  whilst  the  re- 
15 


226  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

cipient  of  the  blow  dropped  prone,  without  a  groan 
or  cry  of  any  kind,  upon  the  pathway.  The  other, 
meanwhile,  had  dropped  his  share  of  their  joint  bur- 
den and  seemed  inclined  to  resume  hostilities,  but  a 
well-aimed  sweep  of  the  butt-end  of  my  gun  took 
all  the  fight  out  of  him,  and  he  beat  a  hasty  retreat, 
leaving  his  companion  to  our  tender  mercies,  Smel- 
lie,  however,  had  something  else  to  think  about,  for 
there,  upon  the  pathway,  her  white  dress  already 
stained  with  the  blood  of  the  prostrate  ruffian  beside 
her,  lay  the  senseless  body  of  Dona  Antonia.  Eais- 
ing  her  in  his  arms  my  companion  at  once  made  for 
the  house,  despatching  Pedro,  who  had  just  put  in 
an  alarmed  appearance,  in  advance  to  summon  the 
assistance  of  Old  Madre  Dolores,  Antonia's  special 
attendant. 

I  convoyed  the  pair  as  far  as  the  door,  and  then 
retraced  my  steps  down  the  pathway,  intent  on  re- 
covering the  telescope,  and  also  to  reconnoiter  the 
scene  of  action  and  ascertain  whether  or  no  the 
enemy  had  beaten  a  final  retreat.  The  ground 
proved  to  be  clear ;  so  I  presume  that  the  fellow 
whose  head  Smellie  had  broken  was  not  after  all 
quite  so  seriously  injured  as  he  at  first  appeared  to  be. 

On  my  return  to  the  house  I  found  the  whole  place 
in  confusion,  as  might  naturally  be  expected,  and 
Don  Manuel,  with  his  damaged  hand  in  a  sling,  anx- 
iously inquiring  of  Smellie  whether  he  had  any  idea 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  perpetrators  of  the  out- 
rage, 

"  I  certainly  have  an  idea  who  was  the  leader," 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  227 

answered  Smellie  ;  "  but  I  scarcely  like  to  give  utter- 
ance to  my  suspicions.  Here  comes  Hawkesley  ;  let 
us  see  whether  his  opinion  upon  the  matter  coincides 
with  mine.  Hawkesley,  do  you  think  you  ever  met 
either  of  those  men  before  ? " 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  unhesitatingly ;  "  unless  I  am 
greatly  mistaken,  the  man  who  was  so  pertinacious 
in  his  attack  upon  you,  and  whom  I  shot,  was  Senor 
Madera." 

"  Exactly  so,"  coincided  Smellie.  "  I  recognized 
him  directly  ;  but  it  was  so  very  dark  down  there 
among  the  trees  that  I  scarcely  cared  to  say  as  much 
without  first  having  my  conviction  verified.  I  very 
much  fear,  Don  Manuel,  3"ou  have  been  grossly  de- 
ceived by  that  fellow  ;  if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken 
he  is  a  thorough  rascal.  I  do  not  say  this  because 
of  his  cowardly  attack  upon  me — that  I  can  quite 
account  for  after  your  explanation  of  a  night  or  two 
ago  ;  but  his  daring  outrage  upon  your  daughter  is 
quite  another  matter." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  exclaimed  Don  Manuel,  excitedly ; 
"the  fellow  is  a  villain,  there  is  no  doubt  about  that. 
I  have  never  entertained  a  very  high  opinion  of  him, 
it  is  true  ;  but  I  must  admit  that  I  was  quite  unpre- 
pared for  any  such  high-handed  behavior  as  that  of 
to-night." 

"  Well,"  said  Smellie,  cheerfull}^  "  I  think  Hawkes- 
ley has  given  his  ardor  a  cooling  for  some  time  to 
come,  at  all  events ;  and  for  the  rest,  you  will  have 
to  be  very  carefully  on  your  guard  for  the  future, 
my  dear  sir.     I  do  not  think  he  ^vill  venture  a  second 


228  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

attempt  so  long  as  we  remain  under  your  roof,  but 
after  we  are  gone — " 

"  Which  I  hope  will  not  be  for  some  time  to  come," 
hospitably  interrupted  Don  Manuel.  "  But  have  no 
fear  for  us,  my  dear  Don  Harold ;  '  forewarned  is 
forearmed '  as  you  say  in  your  England,  and  I  shall 
take  care  to  render  any  further  attack  upon  my 
daughter's  liberty  impossible.  But  come,  dinner 
awaits  us,  and  we  can  further  discuss  the  matter,  if 
need  be,  over  the — what  is  that  you  call  it  ? — ah, 
yes,  '  the  social  board. '  " 

Thereupon  we  filed  into  the  dining-room,  and 
took  our  places  at  the  table.  And  there,  before  the 
conversation  had  an  opportunity  to  drift  back  into 
its  former  channel,  I  detailed  my  day's  doings,  and 
apprised  Smellie  of  the  important  fact  that  the 
Daphne  was  in  the  offing. 

"  This  is  momentous  news  indeed,"  remarked  Smel- 
lie when  I  had  finished.  "  We  must  leave  you  to- 
night, I  fear,  Don  Manuel,  reluctant  as  we  both  must 
be  to  cut  short  so  very  agreeable  an  acquaintance. 
But  I  trust  we  shall  have  many  opportunities  of  visit- 
ing you  again,  and  so  keeping  alive  the  friendship 
established  between  us ;  and  as  to  Senor  Madera — 
if  Hawkesley  is  only  correct  in  his  conjectures  as  to 
the  schooner  he  saw — why,  I  trust  we  may  be  able 
to  effectually  and  permanently  relieve  you  of  his 
disagreeable  attentions  before  twenty-four  hours 
have  passed  over  our  heads." 

Don  Manuel  bowed.  "  If  Seiior  Madera  is  indeed 
the  captain  of  a  slave-ship,  as  I  have  sometimes  felt 


AN    EVENTFUL   NIGHT.  229 

inclined  to  believe  he  is,"  said  he,  "  I  beg  that  you 
will  not  permit  the  accident  of  having  encountered 
him  under  my  roof  to  influence  you  in  any  way  in 
his  favor.  As  I  have  already  said,  he  is  only  an 
acquaintance — not  a  friend  of  mine — and  if  he  is  a 
transgressor  against  the  laws  relating  to  the  slave- 
trade,  make  him  suffer  for  it,  if  you  can  lay  hands 
upon  him.  With  regard  to  your  proposed  attempt  to 
rejoin  your  ship  to-night,  I  very  much  regret  that  I 
am  only  able  to  offer  you  the  most  meager  assist- 
ance ;  such  as  it  is,  however,  you  are  heartily  wel- 
come to  it.  I  have  a  canoe  down  in  the  creek 
yonder,  and  you  are  very  welcome  to  take  her ;  but 
she  is  only  a  small  affair,  and  as  I  presume  you  are 
not  very  much  accustomed  to  the  handling  of  canoes, 
you  will  have  to  be  exceedingly  careful  or  you  may 
possibly  meet  with  an  upset.  And  that,  let  me  tell 
you,  may  prove  a  very  serious  affair,  since  the  creek, 
ay,  and  the  river  itself,  swarms  with  crocodiles." 

Smellie  duly  expressed  his  thankful  acceptance  of 
Don  Manuel's  kind  offer,  and  the  conversation  then 
became  general.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  meal 
Smellie  requested  the  favor  of  a  few  minutes'  private 
conversation  with  Don  Manuel ;  and  that  gentleman, 
with  a  somewhat  questioning  and  surprised  look, 
bowed  an  affirmative  and  at  once  led  the  way  to  his 
own  especial  sanctum. 

I  never  actually  heard  what  was  the  nature  of  the 
momentous  communication  which  the  gallant  second 
lieutenant  wished  so  suddenly  to  make  to  his  host ; 
but  from  the  length  of  time  that  they  remained 


230  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

closeted  together,  and  the  remark  of  Don  Manuel 
when  they  at  length  reappeared — "Yery  well,  my 
dear  sir,  then  that  is  settled ;  upon  the  conditions  I 
have  named  you  can  have  her  " — I  made  a  pretty 
shrewd  guess  at  it. 

In  the  meantime  Dona  Antonia  had  reappeared, 
very  little  the  worse  for  her  adventure ;  she  was 
very  pale,  it  is  true,  and  she  became  perceptibly 
paler  when,  with  that  want  of  tact  which  is  one  of 
my  most  marked  characteristics,  I  abruptly  told  her 
that  we  were  on  the  point  of  leaving  her  to  rejoin 
our  ship.  But  she  amply  redeemed  this  want  of 
color  by  the  deep  rosy  flush  with  which  she  greeted 
Smellie's  approach,  and  the  low  whispered  request 
in  response  to  which  she  placed  her  hand  on  his 
arm  and  retired  with  him  to  the  verandah. 

It  was  about  9.30  p.  m.  when  they  reappeared, 
Smellie  looking  very  grave,  but  at  the  same  time 
rather  exultant,  and  poor  Antonia  in  tears,  which 
she  made  no  attempt  whatever  to  conceal.  I  was, 
of  course,  all  ready  to  start  at  a  moment's  notice. 
"We  had  no  preparations  to  make,  in  fact,  and  we  at 
once  proceeded  to  the  disagreeable  task  of  saying 
farewell  to  our  kind  and  generous  host.  It  was  a 
painful  business ;  for  though  we  had  not  known  Don 
Manuel  and  his  daughter  very  long,  Ave  had  still 
known  them  quite  long  enough  to  have  acquired  for 
them  both  a  very  large  measure  of  esteem  and  re- 
gard— in  Smellie's  case  there  could  no  longer  be  the 
least  doubt  that  his  feelings  toward  his  hostess  were 
even   warmer   than   this — so  we   hurried  over  the 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  23 1 

leave-taking  with  all  speed,  and  then  set  off  down 
the  pathway,  under  Pedro's  guidance,  on  our  road 
to  the  creek. 

It  was  by  this  time  pitch  dark.  The  stars  had  all 
disappeared  ;  the  sky  had  become  obscured  by  a  heavy 
pall  of  thunder-cloud  ;  and  away  to  the  eastward 
the  lightning  was  already  beginning  to  flash  and 
the  thunder  to  growl  ominously.  Before  we  reached 
the  gate  in  the  palisading  Pedro  had  volunteered 
the  prognostication  of  a  stormy  night,  utterly  unfit 
for  such  an  expedition  as  that  upon  which  we  were 
bound,  and  had  strongly  urged  us  more  than  once 
to  follow  his  counsel  and  postpone  the  attempt.  But 
to  this  proposition  we  could  not,  of  course,  listen  for 
a  moment.  If  we  missed  the  present  opportunity 
to  rejoin  the  Daphne  it  was  impossible  to  conjecture 
when  another  might  offer  ;  and  pleasant  though  our 
sojourn  under  Don  Manuel's  hospitable  roof  had 
undoubtedly  been,  it  was  not  business ;  every  day 
so  spent  was  a  day  distinctly  lost  in  the  pursuit  of 
our  professional  interests.  So  we  plodded  steadily 
on,  and  in  about  half  an  hour's  time  reached  the 
head  of  the  creek,  where,  carefully  housed  under  a 
low  thatch  covering,  we  found  the  canoe. 

She  was,  indeed,  a  frail  craft  in  which  to  under- 
take such  a  journey  as  ours,  being  only  some  two 
feet  six  inches  beam,  by  about  sixteen  inches  deep, 
and  twenty  feet  long  ;  hollowed  out  of  a  single  log. 
She  had  no  thwarts,  and  the  paddlers  were  there- 
fore compelled  to  squat  tailor-fashion  in  the  bottom 
of  her,  looking  forward.     This  was,  so  far,  fortu- 


232  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

nate ;  since  she  was  so  frightfully  crank  that,  with 
such  unaccustomed  canoeists  as  ourselves,  it  was 
only  by  keeping  our  centers  of  gravity  low  down 
that  we  prevented  her  capsizing  the  moment  we 
stepped  into  her.  Pedro,  worthy  soul,  detained  us 
about  twenty  minutes  whilst  he  explained  the 
peculiarities  of  the  craft  and  the  proper  mode  of 
handling  the  paddles  ;  and  then,  with  Smellie  aft 
and  me  forward,  we  bade  the  old  fellow  good-by 
and  boldly  shoved  off  down  the  creek. 

The  channel  here  being  narrow,  and  overarched 
to  a  great  extent  with  trees,  the  darkness  was  quite 
as  intense  as  it  had  been  on  our  journey  from  the 
house  through  the  wood  and  down  to  the  creek  ;  so 
dark  was  it,  indeed,  that  but  for  the  lightning  which 
now  flashed  around  us  with  rapidly-increasing  fre- 
quency, it  would  have  been  quite  impossible  for  us 
to  see  where  we  were  going.  This  stygian  dark- 
ness, whilst  it  proved  an  obstacle  to  our  rapid  prog- 
ress, promised  to  afford  us,  by  way  of  compensa- 
tion, most  valuable  assistance  in  another  way,  since 
Ave  hoped  to  slip  past  the  schooner  undetected  in  the 
impenetrable  obscurity  ;  our  desire  just  then  being 
to  avoid  anything  like  a  renewal  of  our  acquaintance 
with  Senor  Madera  so  soon  after  our  very  recent 
little  misunderstanding.  Unfortunately  there  were 
two  or  three  phenomena  which  combined  to  render 
this  feat  a  matter  of  difficulty.  The  first  was  the 
vivid  lightning  which,  at  increasingly  brief  intervals, 
lit  up  the  channel  with  noontide  distinctness.  The 
jiext  was  the  failure  of  the  wind ;  a  stark,  breathless 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  233 

calm  having  fallen  upon  the  face  of  nature  like  a 
pall,  in  the  which  not  so  much  as  a  single  leaf 
stirred ;  and  the  whole  insect  world,  contrary  to  its 
usual  custom,  awaiting  in  hushed  expectancy  the 
outburst  of  the  coming  storm,  a  great  and  death-like 
silence  prevailed,  through  which  the  slightest  sound 
which  we  might  accidentally  make  would  have  been 
heard  for  a  long  distance.  Another,  and  perhaps 
the  worst  of  all,  was  the  highly  phosphorescent 
state  of  the  water.  This  was  so  excessive  that  the 
slightest  ripple  under  the  bows  of  the  canoe,  along 
her  sides,  and  for  some  distance  in  her  wake,  to- 
gether with  the  faint  swirls  created  by  our  paddles, 
produced  long  trailing  lines  and  eddies  of  vivid  sil- 
very light  which  could  scarcely  fail  to  attract  the 
attention  of  a  vigilant  lookout  and  so  betray  our 
whereabouts.  "We  were  thus  compelled  to  observe 
the  utmost  circumspection  in  our  advance,  which 
was  made  as  far  as  was  practicable,  through  the 
deepest  shadows  of  the  overhanging  foliage. 

We  were  creeping  slowly  down  the  channel  in  this 
cautious  fashion  when  a  slight  and  almost  impercepti- 
ble splash  from  the  opposite  bank  attracted  my  at- 
tention. Glancing  across  in  that  direction  I  noticed 
a  slowly  spreading  circle  of  luminous  ripples,  and 
beneath  them  a  curious  patch  of  pale  phosphores- 
cent light  rapidly  advancing  toward  us.  In  a  few 
seconds  it  was  almost  directly  underneath  the  canoe 
and  keeping  pace  with  her.  To  my  consternation  I 
then  saw  that  it  was  a  crocodile  about  the  same 
length,  "  over  all "  as  the  canoe,  the  phosphorescence 


234  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

of  the  water  causing  bis  scaly  carcass  to  gleam  like 
a  watery  moon  and  distinctly  revealing  his  every 
movement.  We  could  even  see  his  upturned  eyes 
maintaining  a  vigilant  watch  upon  us. 
"  Do  you  see  that,  sir  ?  "  I  whispered, 
"  I  do,  indeed,"  murmured  Smellie  ;  "  and  I  only 
hope  the  brute  is  completely  ignorant  of  his  ability 
to  capsize  us  with  a  single  whisk  of  his  tail,  if  he 
should  do  so.     Phew  !  what  a  flash." 

What  a  flash,  indeed  !  It  seemed  as  though  the 
entire  vault  of  heaven  had  exploded  into  living 
flame  ;  the  whole  atmosphere  was  for  a  moment  irra- 
diated ;  our  surroundings  leaped  out  of  the  darkness 
and  stood  for  a  single  instant  vividly  revealed  ;  and 
there,  too,  aAvay  ahead  of  us,  at  a  distance  of  per- 
haps half  a  mile,  appeared  the  schooner,  her  hull, 
spars,  and  rigging  showing  black  as  ebon}?"  against 
the  brilliantly-illuminated  background  of  foliage  and 
cloud.  Simultaneously  Avith  the  lightning-flash 
there  came  a  terrific  peal  of  thunder,  which  crackled 
and  crashed  and  roared  and  rumbled  about  us  with 
such  an  awful  percussion  of  sound  that  I  was  abso- 
lutely deafened  for  a  minute  or  two.  When  I  re- 
covered my  hearing  the  wild  creatures  of  the  forest 
were  still  giving  vent  to  their  terror  in  a  chorus  of 
roars  and  howls  and  screams  of  dismay.  The  croc- 
odile, evidentl}'^  not  caring  to  be  out  in  such 
weather,  had,  happily,  vanished.  We  had  scarcely 
gathered  our  wits  once  more  about  us  when  the 
floodgates  of  heaven  were  opened  and  down  came 
the  rain.     I  had  heard  a  great  deal,  at  one  time  and 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  235 

another,  about  the  violence  of  tropical  rainstorms, 
but  this  exceeded  far  beyond  all  bounds  the  utmost 
that  I  had  thereby  been  led  to  anticipate.  It  came, 
not  in  drops  or  sheets,  or  even  the  metaphorical 
"  bucketsful,"  but  in  an  absolute  deluge  of  such 
volume  that  not  only  were  we  drenched  to  the  skin 
in  a  single  instant,  but  almost  before  I  was  aware  of 
it  the  water  had  risen  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe  to 
a  depth  of  at  least  four  inches.  I  was  actually  com- 
pelled to  lean  forward  in  a  stooping  posture  to  catch 
my  breath. 

For  fully  five  minutes  this  overwhelming  deluge 
continued  to  descend  upon  us,  and  then  it  relaxed 
somewhat  and  settled  down  into  a  steady  downpour. 

"  Was  that  object  which  we  caught  sight  of  some 
distance  ahead  just  now,  the  schooner?"  asked 
Smellie,  as  soon  as  the  rushing  sound  of  the  rain  had 
so  far  abated  as  to  permit  of  our  hearing  each 
other's  voices. 

"  It  was,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Then  now  is  the  time  for  us  to  make  a  dash  past 
her;  they  will  scarcely  be  keeping  a  very  bright 
lookout  in  such  rain  as  this,"  he  remarked. 

We  accordingly  hauled  out  into  the  center  of  the 
stream  and  plied  our  paddles  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
We  had  been  working  hard  for  perhaps  five  min- 
utes when  Smellie  said  in  a  low  cautious  tone  of 
voice : 

"  Hawkesley  ! " 

"  Sir  ? " 

"  Do  you  know,  the  fancy  has  seized  upon  me  to 


236  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

have  a  look  in  on  the  deck  of  that  schooner.  If  we 
are  duly  cautious  I  really  believe  it  might  be  managed 
without  very  much  risk.  Somehow  I  do  not  think 
they  will  be  keeping  a  particularly  bright  lookout 
on  board  her  just  now.  The  lookout  may  even  be 
stowed  away  comfortably  in  the  galley  out  of  the 
rain.     Have  you  nerve  enough  for  the  adventure  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  have,  sir,"  I  replied,  a  bold  idea 
flashing  at  that  instant -through  my  brain. 

"  Then  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  her,  and,  when 
you  see  her,  work  your  paddle  so  as  to  drop  the 
canoe  alongside  under  her  main-chains,  and  stand 
by  to  catch  a  turn  with  your  painter." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  I  replied,  and  we  once  more  re- 
lapsed into  silence  and  renewed  paddling. 

Five  minutes  later  a  shapeless  object  loomed  up 
close  aboard  of  us  on  our  port  bow,  and,  sheering 
the  canoe  sharply  to  larboard,  we  dropped  her  hand- 
somely and  without  a  sound  alongside  the  schooner 
just  in  the  wake  of  her  main-chains.  I  rapidly  took 
a  turn  with  the  painter  round  the  foremost  channel- 
iron,  and  in  another  moment  stood  alongside  my 
superior  officer  in  the  schooner's  main-chains. 

Placing  our  heads  close  to  the  dead-eyes  of  the 
rigging,  so  as  to  expose  ourselves  as  little  as  possible, 
we  waited  patiently  for  another  flash  of  lightning — 
Smellie  looking  aft  and  I  looking  forward,  by  hastily- 
whispered  agreement. 

Presently  the  flash  came. 

"  Did  you  catch  sight  of  the  lookout  ? "  whispered 
Smellie  to  me. 


AN   EVENTFUL   NIGHT.  237 

"No,  sir,"  I  whispered  back  ;  "  did  you  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  I  noticed  that  the  skylight  and  com- 
panion are  both  closed  and  the  slide  drawn  over — 
probably  to  exclude  the  rain.  I  fancy  most  of  the 
people  must  have  turned  in." 

"  Yery  probably,"  I  accquiesced ;  "there  is  not 
much  to  tempt  them  to  remain  out  of  their  bunks 
on  such  a  night  as  this." 

"  True,"  remarked  Smellie,  still  in  the  most  cau- 
tious of  whispers.  "  I  feel  more  than  half-inclined 
to  climb  inboard  and  make  a  tour  of  the  decks." 

"  All  right,  sir  !  "  I  agreed.  "  Let  us  slip  off  our 
shoes  and  get  on  board  at  once.  You  take  the  star- 
board side  of  the  deck  ;  I'll  take  the  port  side.  We 
can  meet  again  on  the  forecastle." 

"  Agreed  !  "  was  the  reply  ;  and  slipping  off  our 
shoes  forthwith  we  waited  for  another  flash  of  light- 
ning, and  then,  in  the  succeeding  darkness,  scram- 
bled noiselessly  in  on  deck  and  proceeded  on  our  tour 
of  investigation. 

On  reaching  the  schooner's  deck  we  separated,  and 
I  made  it  my  first  business  to  carefully  examine  the 
skylight  and  companion,  In  the  profound  darkness 
it  was  quite  impossible  to  see  anything ;  but  by  care- 
ful manipulation  I  soon  ascertained  that  the  former 
was  shut  down,  and  that  the  doors  of  the  latter  were 
closed  and  the  slide  drawn  over  within  about  six 
inches,  as  Smellie  had  said.  It  must  have  been 
frightfully  hot  down  in  the  cabin,  but  the  officers 
apparently  preferred  that  to  having  a  deluge  of  rain 
beating  down  below.     The  cabin  was  dimly  lighted 


238  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

by  a  swinging  lamp  turned  down  very  low ;  but  I 
could  see  no  one,  nor  was  there  any  sound  of  move- 
ment down  there — at  which  I  was  considerably  sur- 
prised, because  if  the  schooner  really  belonged  to 
Senor  Madera,  as  I  had  supposed,  one  would  have 
expected  to  find  one  or  two  persons  at  least  on  the 
alert  in  attendance  upon  the  wounded  man. 

Having  learned  all  that  it  w^as  possible  to  learn  in 
this  quarter,  I  next  proceeded  aft  as  far  as  the  taff- 
rail,  where  I  found  the  deck  encumbered  on  both 
sides  by  two  big  coils  of  mooring  hawser,  the  other 
ends  of  which  were  secured,  as  I  had  noticed  earlier 
in  the  day,  to  a  couple  of  tree-trunks  on  shore. 

I  next  proceeded  leisurely  forward,  noting  on  my 
way  the  fact  that  the  schooner  mounted  a  battery 
of  four  brass  nine-pounders  on  her  starboard  side — 
and  of  course  her  port  battery  would  be  the  same. 
The  main  hatchway  was  securely  covered  in  with  a 
grating,  up  through  which  arose  the  unmistakable 
odor  which  betrays  the  presence  of  slaves  in  a  ship's 
hold.  All  was  quiet,  however,  below — the  poor 
^\Tetches  dow^n  there  having  probably  obtained  in 
sleep  a  temporary  forgetfulness  of  their  miserable 
condition.  On  reaching  the  galley  I  found  that  the 
door  on  the  port  side  was  closed  ;  but  on  applying 
my  ear  to  the  chink  I  fancied  I  could  detect,  through 
the  steady  swish  of  the  rain,  the  sounds  of  regular 
breathing,  as  of  a  slumbering  man.  Forward  of  the 
galley  was  the  foremast,  and  on  clearing  this  a  faint 
gleam  of  light  indicated  the  position  of  the  fore- 
scuttle  ;  and  whilst  I  was  still  glancing  round  in  an 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  239 

endeavor  to  discover  the  presence  of  a  possible  an- 
chor-watch the  light  was  suddenly  obscured  by  the 
interposition  of  the  second  lieutenant's  body,  as  he 
cautiously  peered  down  into  the  forecastle.  I  ad- 
vanced to  his  side  and  laid  my  hand  upon  his  arm, 
at  the  same  time  mentioning  his  name  to  apprise  him 
of  my  presence. 

"  Well,"  he  whispered,  first  drawing  me  away 
from  the  open  scuttle,  "  what  have  you  discov- 
ered ? " 

I  told  him,  adding  that  I  thought  the  anchor- 
watch  must  have  taken  refuge  in  the  galley  from  the 
rain,  and  there  have  fallen  asleep. 

"  Yes,"  whispered  Smellie ;  "  he  is  safe  enough 
there,  and  sound  asleep,  for  I  accidentally  touched 
him  without  disturbing  his  slumber." 

I  thought  the  time  had  now  arrived  for  the  pro- 
pounding of  my  brilliant  idea. 

"  What  is  to  prevent  our  seizing  the  schoonei',  sir  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Nothing  whatever,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  have 
been  thinking  of  such  a  thing  myself.  She  is  already 
virtually  in  our  possession,  and  a  very  little  labor 
and  patience  would  make  her  actually  so.  I  think 
we  are  men  enough  to  get  her  under  canvas  and  to 
handle  her  afterwards,  for  she  is  only  a  very  small 
craft.  The  great — and  indeed  only — danger  con- 
nected with  the  affair  consists  in  the  possibility  of 
their  firing  a  pistol  into  the  powder-magazine  when 
they  discover  that  they  are  prisoners,  and  so  send- 
ing the  ship  and  all  hands  sky-high  together." 


240  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  They  anight  possibly  do  such  a  thing,"  I  as- 
sented ;  "  but  I  am  willing  to  take  the  risk,  sir,  if 
you  are." 

"  "Well  done,  Hawkesley  !  you  are  made  of  the 
right  stuff  for  a  sailor,"  was  Smellie's  encouraging 
remark.  "  Then  we'll  do  it,"  he  continued.  "  The 
first  thing  is  to  close  and  fasten  the  fore-scuttle, 
which,  I  have  already  ascertained,  is  secured  with  a 
hasp  and  staple.  A  belaying-pin  will  secure  it 
effectually ;  so  that  is  the  first  thing  we  need." 

A  loose  belaying-pin  was  soon  found ;  and,  pro- 
vided with  this,  we  then  returned  to  the  fore-scuttle, 
noiselessly  placed  the  cover  in  position,  and  thrust 
the  pin  through  the  staple,  thus  effectually  imprison- 
ing the  crew. 

"  Now  another  belaying-pin  and  a  rope's  end — a 
fathom  or  so  off  the  end  of  the  topgallant  halliards 
will  do — to  secure  this  vigilant  lookout  in  the  gal- 
ley." 

Armed  with  the  necessary  gear  we  next  crept  to- 
ward the  galley.  The  question  was,  how  to  secure 
the  man  effectually  in  the  intense  darkness  and  con- 
fined space,  and  at  the  same  time  prevent  his  raising 
an  alarm.  The  only  thing  was  to  lure  him  out  on 
deck  ;  and  accordingly,  whilst  Smellie  awaited  him 
at  the  door,  I  went  in,  and  grasping  him  by  the 
shoulder  shook  him  roughly,  retiring  again  promptly 
as  soon  as  I  found  that  I  had  aroused  him.  The 
fellow  rose  to  his  feet  hurriedly,  evidently  under  the 
impression  that  one  of  the  officers  had  caught  him 
napping,  and,  scarcely  half  awake,  stumbled  out  on 


AN    EVENTFUL   NIGHT.  24I 

deck  muttering  in  Spanish  a  few  incoherent  words 
which  he  no  doubt  intended  for  an  exphxnation  of 
his  presence  in  the  galley.  As  he  emerged  from  the 
door  I  promptly — and  I  fear  rather  roughly — forced 
the  belaying-pin  between  his  teeth  and  secured  it 
there  with  the  aid  of  my  pocket-handkerchief,  Smel- 
lie  at  the  same  moment  pinioning  him  from  the 
other  side  so  effectually  that  he  was  rendered  quite 
incapable  of  resistance.  A  very  short  time  sufficed 
us  to  secure  hira  beyond  the  possibility  of  escape ; 
and  then  the  next  thing  demanding  our  attention 
was  the  skylight  and  companion.  I  had  already 
thought  of  a  means  by  which  these  might  be  made 
perfectly  secure,  and  I  now  offered  the  idea  to  Smel- 
lie  for  whatever  it  might  be  Avorth.  My  suggestion 
met  with  his  most  unqualified  approval,  and  we 
fortwith  set  about  carrying  it  out.  There  was  an 
abundance  of  firewood  in  the  galley  ;  and,  selecting 
suitable  pieces,  we  lost  no  time  in  hacking  out  half- 
a-dozen  wedges.  Armed  with  these  we  went  aft, 
and  noiselessly  closing  the  companion  slide  to  its 
full  extent  firmly  wedged  it  there.  A  short  piece  of 
planking  wedged  tightly  in  between  the  binnacle 
and  the  companion  doors  made  the  latter  perfectly 
secure ;  and  when  we  had  further  heaped  upon  the 
skylight  lids  as  many  heavy  articles  as  we  could 
find  about  the  decks  and  conveniently  handle  be- 
tween us,  the  crew  were  effectually  imprisoned  be- 
low, fore  and  aft,  and  the  work  of  seizing  the 
schooner  was  complete. 

We  were  not  a  moment  too  soon.     The  thunder- 


242  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

storm  had  all  this  while  been  raging  with  little  if 
any  diminution  of  fury,  the  rain  continuing  to  pour 
down  upon  us  in  a  steady  torrent.  But  hitherto 
there  had  been  no  wind.  We  had  barely  completed 
our  task  of  making  matters  secure  fore  and  aft,  how- 
ever, when  the  lightning  and  rain  ceased  all  in  an 
instant. 

"Now  look  out  for  the  wind,  sir,"  said  I  to 
Smellie. 

'*  When  the  rain  comes  before  the  wind, 
Stand  by  and  well  your  topsails  mind." 

"  Let  the  breeze  come  as  soon  as  it  likes,"  was  the 
cheerful  reply  ;  "  we  shall  want  a  breeze  to  help  us 
out  of  the  creek  presently.  But  we  may  as  well  get 
the  canvas  on  her  whilst  the  calm  lasts,  if  possible ; 
so  run  your  knife  along  the  lashing  of  that  main- 
sail, whilst  I  overhaul  the  sheet  and  cast  adrift  the 
halliards." 

So  said,  so  done,  and  in  another  minute  the  sail 
was  loose.  We  then  tailed  on  to  the  halliards,  and 
after  a  long  and  weary  drag  managed  to  get  the 
sail  set  after  a  fashion.  But  we  had  hardly  begun  this 
task  before  the  squall  burst  upon  us,  and  well  was 
it  for  us  then  that  the  schooner  happened  to  be 
moored  in  so  completely  sheltered  a  position.  The 
wind  careered,  roaring,  and  howling  past  us  over- 
head, swa3dng  and  bending  the  stoutest  forest  giants 
as  though  they  were  pliant  reeds  ;  but  down  in  the 
narrow  channel,  under  the  lee  of  the  trees,  we  felt 
no  more  than  a  mere  scu0e,  which,  however,  was 


AN    EVENTFUL    NIGHT.  243 

sufficient  to  make  the  mainsail  flap  heavily,  and  this 
effectually  roused  all  hands  below. 

The  first  intimation  we  received  of  this  state  of 
things  was  a  loud  battering  against  the  inside  of  the 
companion  doors,  accompanied  by  muffled  ejacula- 
tions of  anger.  To  this,  however,  we  paid  not  the 
slightest  heed  ;  we  knew  that  our  prisoners  were 
safe  for  a  time  at  least,  so,  as  soon  as  Ave  had  set  the 
mainsail  to  our  satisfaction  I  skimmed  out  on  the 
jib-boom  and  cast  loose  the  jib,  then  slipped  inboard 
again  and  helped  Smellie  to  hoist  it.  This  done,  by 
Smellie's  order,  I  went  aft  to  the  wheel,  whilst  he, 
armed  with  the  cook's  ax,  cut  the  hawsers  fore  and 
aft  by  which  the  schooner  was  secured  to  the 
bank. 

The  wind  was  very  baffling  just  where  we  were  ; 
moreover  we  happened,  unfortunately,  to  be  on  the 
lee  side  of  the  canal,  and  for  a  couple  of  minutes 
after  cutting  adrift  we  were  in  imminent  danger  of 
taking  the  ground  after  all  our  trouble.  Between 
us,  however,  we  succeeded  in  so  far  flattening  in 
the  main  sheet  as  to  cant  her  bows  to  windward, 
and  though  the  schooner's  keel  actually  stirred  up 
the  mud  for  a  distance  of  quite  fifty  yards,  we  at 
last  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  her  draw  off  the 
bank.  The  moment  that  she  was  fairly  under  weigh 
I  drew  Smellie's  attention  to  the  violent  pounding 
at  the  companion  doors,  and  suggested  as  a  precau- 
tionary measure  that  we  should  run  one  of  the  guns 
up  against  the  doors  in  case  of  any  attempt  to  batter 
them  down,  which  we  accordingly  did ;  the  wheel 


244  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

being  lashed  for  the  short  period  necessary  to  en- 
able us  to  accomplish  this  task. 

Yery  fortunately  for  us  the  wind  had  by  this  time 
broken  up  the  dense  black  canopy  of  cloud  over- 
head, permitting  a  star  or  two  to  peep  through  the 
rents  here  and  there ;  the  moon,  too,  just  past  her 
second  quarter,  had  risen,  so  that  we  now  had  a  fair 
amount  of  light  to  aid  us.  The  navigation  of  the 
narrow  creek  was,  however,  so  diiRcult  that  a  look- 
out was  absolutely  necessary,  and  Smellie  accord- 
ingly went  forward  and  stationed  himself  on  the 
stem  head  to  con  the  ship. 


WE    REJOIN    THE    "  DAPHNE."  245 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WE   KEJOIN    THE    "  DAPHNE. 


The  people  in  the  cabin,  finding  that  no  good 
result  followed  their  violent  pounding  upon  the  in- 
side of  the  companion  doors,  soon  abandoned  so 
unprofitable  an  amusement,  and  I  was  just  beginning 
to  hope  that  they  had  philosophically  made  up  their 
minds  to  submit  with  a  good  grace  to  the  inevitable, 
when  crasJi  came  a  bullet  through  the  teak  doors 
and  past  my  head  in  most  uncomfortable  proximity 
to  my  starboard  ear. 

Smellie  looked  round  at  the  sound. 

"  Any  damage  done,  Hawkesley  ? "  he  hailed. 

"  None  so  far,  I  thank  you,"  replied  I ;  and  as  I 
spoke  there  was  another  report,  and  another  bullet 
went  whizzing  past,  well  to  port  this  time  for  a 
change.  A  minute  or  two  passed,  and  then  came  a 
regular  fusilade  from  quite  half  a  dozen  pistols,  dis- 
charged simultaneously  I  should  say,  one  of  the 
bullets  knocking  off  the  worsted  cap  I  wore  and 
grazing  the  skin  of  my  right  temple  sufficiently  to 
send  a  thin  stream  of  blood  trickling  down  into  the 
corner  of  my  right  eye. 

"  You  seem  to  be  in  a  Avarm  corner  there,"  hailed 


246  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Smellie ;  "  but  if  you  can  hold  on  until  we  round 
this  point  I'll  come  and  relieve  you." 

"  No,  thanks,  I  would  very  much  rather  you  would 
continue  to  con  the  ship,"  I  replied. 

A  minute  or  two  later  we  rounded  the  point  re- 
ferred to,  and,  the  creek  widening  out  considerably, 
we  began  to  feel  the  true  breeze,  when  the  schooner, 
even  under  the  short  and  ill-set  canvas  we  had  been 
able  to  give  her,  at  once  increased  her  speed  to  about 
six  knots.  At  the  same  time,  however,  she  began 
to  "  gripe  "  most  villainously,  and  with  helm  hard 
a-weather  it  was  as  much  as  I  could  possibly  do  to 
keep  her  from  running  ashore  among  the  bushes  on 
our  starboard  hand.  The  people  in  the  cabin  Avere 
still  pertinaciously  blazing  away  through  the  com- 
panion doors  at  me,  and  doing  some  remarkably 
good  shooting,  too,  taking  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  they  could  only  guess  at  my  whereabouts ; 
but  I  was  just  then  far  too  busy  to  pay  much  at- 
tention to  them.  At  length,  fearing  that,  when  we 
got  a  little  lower  down  and  felt  the  full  strength  of 
the  breeze,  the  schooner  would,  in  spite  of  all  my 
efforts,  fairly  run  aAvay  with  me,  I  hailed  Smellie, 
and,  briefly  explaining  the  situation  to  him,  asked 
him  to  either  give  her  the  fore  stay-sail  or  else  come 
aft  and  trice  up  the  tack  of  the  mainsail.  He  chose 
the  latter  alternative,  as  leaving  the  craft  under 
canvas  easily  manageable  by  one  hand,  and  came  aft 
to  effect  the  alteration,  hurriedly  explaining  that  he 
would  relieve  me  as  soon  as  possible ;  but  that  there 
was  still  some  difficult  navigation  ahead  which  he 
wanted  to  see  the  schooner  safely  through. 


WE    REJOIN    THE   "  DAPHNE.  247 

He  triced  the  tack  of  the  sail  close  up  to  the  throat 
of  the  gaff,  and  was  about  to  hurry  forward  again, 
Avhen  the  schooner  sheering  round  a  bend  into  a  new 
reach,  my  attention  was  suddenly  attracted  by  some- 
thing ahead  and  on  our  lee  bow  at  a  distance  of 
perhaps  half  a  mile. 

"  What  is  that  away  there  on  our  lee  bow,  sir  ?  " 
I  exclaimed  ;  "  is  it  not  a  craft  of  some  sort  ?  " 

Smellie  jumped  up  on  the  rail  to  get  a  better  view, 
and  at  the  same  moment  a  pistol  shot  rang  out  from 
the  skylight,  the  bullet  evidently  flying  close  past 
him.  He  took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  the  shot, 
but  stood  there  on  the  rail  with  his  hand  shading 
his  eyes,  intently  examining  the  object  we  were 
rapidly  nearing. 

"It  is  a  brig,"  said  he,  "  and  unless  I  am  very 
greatly  mistaken — but  no,  it  can't  be — and  yet  it 
inust  be  too — it  surely  is  the  Vestale.^^ 

"  It  looks  remarkably  like  her  ;  but  I  can't  make 
out — confound  those  fellows !  I  wish  they  would 
stop  firing — I  can't  make  out  the  white  ribbon  round 
her  sides,"  said  I. 

"  No,  nor  can  I.  And  yet  it  is  scarcely  possible 
we  can  be  mistaken.  Luff  you  may — a  little — do 
not  shave  her  too  close.  She  has  no  pennant  flying, 
by  the  way,  whoever  she  may  be.  Ah !  the  rascals 
have  pinked  me  after  all,"  as  a  rattling  volley  was 
discharged  at  him  through  the  glazed  top  of  the  sky- 
light, and  I  saw  him  clap  his  hand  to  his  side. 

We  were  by  this  time  close  to  the  strange  brig,  on 
board  which  lights  were  burning  in  the  cabin,  whilst 


248  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

several  persons  were  visible  on  deck.  As  we  swept 
down  toward  her,  hugging  her  pretty  closely,  a  man 
sprang  into  the  main  rigging  and  hailed  in  Spanish : 

"  Josef  a  ahoy  !  What's  the  matter  on  board  ? 
Why  are  yon  going  to  sea  without  a  full  cargo  ? 
Have  matters  gone  wrong  at  the  head  of  the  creek  % " 

"  IN'o,  no,"  replied  Smellie  in  the  same  language 
which  by  the  way  he  had  been  diligently  studying 
with  Antonia's  assistance  during  our  sojourn  under 
Don  Manuel's  roof — "  no,  everything  is  all  right ; 
our  cargo — " 

Unfortunately  he  was  here  interrupted  by  another 
volley  from  the  cabin,  and  at  the  same  time  a  voice 
yelled  from  the  schooner's  stern  windows : 

"  We  are  captured ;  a  prize  to  the  accursed  In- 
gleses." 

The  words  were  hardly  out  of  the  speaker's  mouth 
when  three  or  four  muskets  were  popped  at  us  from 
the  brig,  fortunately  without  effect.  We  were,  how- 
ever, by  that  time  past  her,  and  her  crew,  who 
seemed  thoroughly  mystified  at  the  whole  affair, 
made  no  further  effort  to  molest  us.  Of  one  thing, 
however,  we  were  amply  assured,  she  was  not  the 
Yestale.  The  craft  we  had  just  passed — whilst  the 
double  of  the  French  gun-brig  in  every  other  respect 
— was  painted  black  down  to  her  copper,  and  she 
carried  under  the  heel  of  her  bowsprit  a  life-size 
figure  of  a  negress  with  a  scarf  striped  in  various 
colors  round  her  waist.  A  negress  ?  Ah !  there 
could  not  be  a  doubt  of  it. 

"  Mr.  Smellie,"  said  1,  "  do  you  know  that  craft  ? " 


WE    REJOIN    THE        DAPHNE.  249 

"  K — n — no,  I  can't  say  I  do,  Hawkesley,  under 
her  present  disguise." 

"  Disguise !  my  dear  sir ;  she  is  not  disguised  at 
all.  That  is  the  pirate  brig  which  destroyed  poor 
Kichards'  vessel — the  Juliet.  And — yes — there  can 
scarcely  be  a  doubt  about  it — she  must  be  the  noto- 
rious Black  Vetius  of  which  the  Yankee  skipper  told 
us." 

Smellie  looked  at  me  in  great  surprise  and  per- 
plexity for  a  moment. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Hawkesley,  I  verily  believe  you 
are  right !  "  he  exclaimed  at  last.  "  The  Black 
Venus — a  negress  for  a  figure-head — ha !  are  you 
hurt  ? " 

"  Not  much,  I  think,"  stammered  I,  as  I  braced 
mj^self  resolutely  against  the  wheel,  determined  that 
I  would  not  give  in.  The  fact  was,  that  whilst  we 
Avere  talking  another  shot  had  been  fired  through  the 
companion  doors,  and  had  struck  me  fairly  in  the 
right  shoulder,  inflicting  such  severe  pain  that  for  the 
moment  I  felt  quite  incapable  of  using  my  right  arm. 
Fortunately  the  schooner  now  steered  pretty  easily, 
and  I  could  manage  the  wheel  with  one  hand. 

"We  must  stop  this  somehow,"  said  Smellie,  again 
jumping  on  the  rail  and  taking  a  long  look  ahead. 

"  Do  you  see  that  very  tall  tree  shooting  up  above 
the  rest,  almost  directly  ahead  ? "  he  continued, 
pointing  out  the  object  as  he  turned  to  me. 

I  replied  that  I  did. 

"  Well,  steer  straight  for  it  then,  and  I  will  fetch 
aft  some  hatch  covers — there  are  several  forward — 


250  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

and  place  them  against  the  doors ;  I  think  I  can 
perhaps  contrive  to  rig  up  a  bullet-proof  screen  for 
you." 

"  But  you  are  hurt  yourself,  sir,"  I  protested. 

"  A  mere  graze  after  all,  I  believe,"  he  replied, 
lightly,  and  forthwith  set  about  the  work  of  drag- 
ging aft  the  hatch-covers,  six  of  which  he  soon  piled 
in  front  of  the  companion. 

"  There,"  he  said,  as  he  placed  the  last  one  in  posi- 
tion, "  I  think  you  are  reasonably  safe  now ;  it  was 
a  pity  we  did  not  think  oE  that  before.  Shall  I 
bind  up  your  shoulder  for  you  ?  You  are  bleeding, 
I  see." 

"  Ko,  thank  you,"  I  replied  ;  "  it  is  only  a  trifling 
scratch,  I  think,  not  worth  troubling  about  now.  I 
would  much  rather  you  would  go  forward  and  look 
out ;  it  would  never  do  to  plump  the  schooner  ashore 
now  that  we  have  come  so  far.  Besides,  there  are 
the  men  down  forward  ;  they  ought  to  be  watched, 
or  perhaps  they  may  succeed  in  breaking  out  after 
all." 

Smellie  looked  at  me  rather  doubtfully  for  almost 
a  full  minute. 

"  I  believe  you  are  suffering  a  great  deal  of  pain, 
Hawkesley,"  he  said;  "but  you  are  a  thoroughly 
plucky  fellow  ;  and  if  you  can  only  keep  up  until  we 
get  clear  of  this  confounded  creek  I  will  then  relieve 
you.  And  I  will  take  care,  too,  to  let  Captain 
Vernon  know  how  admirably  you  have  conducted 
yourself,  not  only  to-night,  but  from  the  moment 
that  we  left  the  Daphne  together.     Now  I  am  going 


WE    REJOIN    THE        DAPHNE.  251 

forward  to  see  that  all  is  right  there.  If  you  want 
help  give  me  a  timely  hail." 

And  he  turned  and  walked  forward. 

The  navigation  of  the  creek  still  continued  to  be 
exceedingly  intricate  and  difficult ;  the  creek  itself 
being  winding,  and  the  deep-water  channel  very 
much  more  winding  still,  running  now  on  one  side 
of  the  creek,  now  on  the  other,  besides  being  studded 
here  and  there  with  shoals,  sand-banks,  and  tiny 
islets.  This,  whilst  it  made  the  navigation  very 
difficult  for  strangers,  added  greatly  to  the  value  of 
the  creek  as  a  safe  and  snug  resort  for  slavers ;  the 
multitudinous  twists  in  the  channel  serving  to  mask 
it  most  artfully,  and  giving  it  an  appearance  of  ter- 
minating at  a  point  beyond  which  in  reality  a  long 
stretch  of  deep  water  extended. 

At  length  we  luffed  sharply  round  a  low  sandy 
spit  thickly  covered  with  mangroves,  kept  broad 
away  again  directly  afterwards,  and  abruptly  found 
ourselves  in  the  main  stream  of  the  Congo.  Here 
the  true  channel  was  easily  discernible  by  the  long 
regular  run  of  the  sea  which  had  been  lashed  up  by 
the  gale ;  and  I  had  therefore  nothing  to  do  but  keep 
the  schooner  where  the  sea  ran  most  regularly,  and 
I  should  be  certain  to  be  right. 

Smellie  now  gave  a  little  much-needed  attention 
to  the  party  in  the  forecastle,  who  had  latterly  been 
very  noisy  and  clamorous  in  their  demonstrations  of 
disapproval.  Luckily  they  did  not  appear  to  possess 
any  fire-arms :  the  only  fear  from  them,  therefore, 
was  that  they  would  find  means  to  break  out ;  and 


252  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

this  the  second  lieutenant  provided  against  pretty 
effectually  by  placing  a  large  wash-deck  tub  on  the 
cover  and  coiling  down  therein  the  end  of  one  of  the 
mooring  hawsers  which  stood  on  the  deck  near  the 
windlass. 

Having  done  this,  he  came  aft  to  relieve  me  at  the 
wheel,  a  relief  for  which  I  was  by  no  means 
sorry. 

The  party  in  the  cabin  had,  shortly  before  this, 
given  up  their  amusement  of  popping  at  me  through 
the  closed  doors  of  the  companion,  having  doubtless 
heard  Sraellie  dragging  along  the  hatch-covers  and 
placing  them  in  position,  and  having  also  formed  a 
very  shrewd  guess  that  further  mischief  on  their  part 
Avas  thus  eif ectually  frustrated.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, they  had  made  the  discovery  that  my  head 
could  be  seen  over  the  companion  from  the  fore  end 
of  the  skylight,  and  they  had  thereupon  begun  to 
pop  at  me  from  this  new  position.  They  had  grazed 
me  twice  when  Smellie  came  aft,  and  he  had  scarce- 
ly opened  his  lips  to  speak  to  me  when  another 
shot  came  whizzing  past  us  close  enough  to  him  to 
prove  that  the  fellows  still  had  it  in  their  power  to 
undo  all  our  work  by  a  single  lucky  hit. 

"  Why,  Hawkesley,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  will 
never  do ;  we  must  put  a  stop  to  this  somehow. 
"We  cannot  afford  to  be  hard  hit,  either  of  us,  for 
another  hour  and  a  half  at  least.  What  is  to  be  done  ? 
How  does  your  shoulder  feel  ?  Can  you  use  your 
right  arm  ? " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot,"  I  replied  ;  "  my  shoulder 


WE    REJOIN    THE    "  DAPHNE.  253 

is  dreadfully  painful,  and  my  arm  seems  to  have  no 
strength  in  it.  But  I  can  steer  easily  with  one  hand 
now ! " 

"  How  many  people  do  you  think  there  are  in  the 
cabin  ?  "  was  Smellie's  next  question. 

"  I  can  scarcely  say,"  I  replied ;  "  but  I  have  only 
been  able  to  distinguish  three  voices  so  far." 

"  Three,  eh  ?  The  skipper  and  two  mates,  I  sup- 
pose." He  ruminated  a  little,  stepped  forward,  and 
presently  returned  with  a  rather  formidable-looking 
iron  bar  he  had  evidently  noticed  some  time  before  ; 
and  coolly  remarked  as  he  began  to  drag  away  the; 
hatch-covers  from  before  the  companion  : 

"  I  am  going  down  below  to  give  those  fellows 
their  quietus.  If  I  do  not,  there  is  no  knowing  what 
mischief  they  may  yet  perpetrate  before  we  get  the 
— what  was  it  those  fellows  called  her  ? — ah  !  the 
Josef  a — before  we  get  the  Josef  a  under  the  Daphne's 
guns.  Now,  choose  a  star  to  steer  by  before  I 
remove  any  more  of  this  lumber,  and  then  sit  down 
on  deck  as  much  on  one  side  as  you  can  get ;  I  shall 
try  to  draw  their  fire  and  then  rush  down  upon 
them." 

With  that  he  removed  his  jacket  and  threw  it 
loosely  over  the  iron  bar,  which  he  laid  aside  for  the 
moment  whilst  he  cleared  away  the  obstructions 
from  before  the  doors.  Then,  taking  up  the  coat 
and  holding  it  well  in  front  of  the  opening  so  as  to 
produce  in  the  uncertain  light  the  appearance  of  a 
figure  standing  there,  he  suddenly  flung  back  the 
slide  and  threw  open  the  doors. 


254  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

The  immediate  results  were  a  couple  of  pistol  shots 
and  a  rush  up  the  companion-ladder,  the  latter  of 
which  Smellie  promptly  stopped  by  swinging  his 
somewhat  bulky  carcass  into  the  opening  and  letting 
himself  drop  plump  down  upon  the  individuals  who 
were  making  it.  There  was  a  scuffle  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder,  another  pistol  shot,  two  or  three  dull 
crushing  blows,  another  brief  scuffle,  and  then 
Smellie  reappeared,  with  blood  flowing  freely  from 
his  left  arm,  and  a  truculent-looking  Spaniard  in  tow. 
This  fellow  he  dragged  on  deck,  and  unceremoniously 
kicking  his  feet  from  under  him,  lashed  him  securely 
with  the  end  of  the  topgallant  brace.  This  done, 
he  once  more  dived  below,  and  in  due  time  two  more 
Spaniards,  senseless  and  bleeding,  were  brought  up 
out  of  the  cabin  and  secured. 

"  There,"  he  said,  wiping  the  perspiration  from 
his  forehead,  "  I  think  we  shall  now  manage  to  make 
the  rest  of  our  trip  unmolested,  and  without  having 
constantly  before  our  eyes  the  fear  of  being  blown 
clear  across  the  Congo.  Let  me  take  the  wheel ;  I 
am  sure  you  must  be  sadly  in  need  of  a  spell.  But 
before  you  do  anything  else  I  will  get  you  to  clap  a 
bandage  of  some  sort  round  my  arm  here ;  I  am 
bleeding  so  profusely  that  I  think  the  bullet  must 
have  severed  an  artery.  Here  is  my  handkerchief, 
clap  it  round  the  arm  and  haul  it  as  taut  as  you  can  ; 
the  great  thing  just  now  is  to  stop  the  bleeding ; 
Doctor  Burnett  will  do  all  that  is  necessary  for  us 
when  we  reach  the  sloop." 

I  bound  up  his  arm  after  a  fashion,  making  a  good 


WE    REJOIN   THE    "  DAPHNE.  255 

enough  job  of  it  to  stop  the  bleeding,  and  then  went 
for\Yard  to  keep  a  lookout. 

We  were  foaming  down  the  river  at  a  tremendous 
pace,  the  gale  being  almost  dead  fair  for  us,  and  hav- 
ing the  additional  impetus  of  a  red-hot  tide  under 
foot  we  swept  down  past  the  land  as  though  we  had 
been  a  steamer.  Sooth  to  say,  however,  I  scarcely 
felt  in  cue  just  then  either  to  admire  the  Josef  a' s 
paces  or  to  take  much  note  of  the  wonderful  picture 
presented  by  the  river,  with  its  brown,  mud-tinted 
waters  lashed  into  fury  by  the  breath  of  the  tropi- 
cal tempest  and  checkered  here  and  there  with  the 
shadows  of  the  scurrying  clouds,  or  lighted  up  by 
the  phosphorescence  which  tipped  each  wave  with 
a  crest  of  scintillating  silvery  stars.  The  wound  in 
my  shoulder  was  every  moment  becoming  more 
excruciatingly  painful  and  more  exacting  in  its  de- 
mands upon  my  attention  ;  my  interest  seemed  to 
center  itself  upon  the  Daphne  and  her  surgeon  ;  and 
it  was  with  a  feeling  of  ineffable  relief  that,  on  jib- 
ing round  Shark  Point,  about  an  hour  and  a  half 
after  clearing  the  creek,  I  saw  at  a  distance  of  about 
seven  miles  away  an  indistinct  object  off  Padron 
Point  which  I  knew  must  be  the  Daphne  at  anchor. 

"  Do  you  see  the  sloop,  sir  ?  "  I  hailed. 

"  No,"  returned  Smellie  from  his  post  at  the  wheel, 
stooping  and  peering  straight  into  the  darkness.  "  I 
cannot  make  her  out  from  here.     Do  you  see  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  joyously ;  "  there  she  is, 
broad  on  our  port  bow.     Luff,  sir,  you  may." 

"  Luff,"  I  heard  Smellie  return ;  and  the  schooner's 


256  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

bows  swept  round  until  they  pointed  fair  for  the 
distant  object. 

"  Steady,  sir !  " 

"  Steady  it  is,"  replied  Smellie,  his  voice  sounding 
weird  and  mournful  above  the  roar  of  the  wind  and 
the  wash  of  the  sea.  I  managed  to  trim  over  the 
jib-sheet  without  assistance,  and  then  leaned  over  the 
bulwarks  watching  the  gradual  way  in  which  the 
small  dark  blot  on  the  horizon  swelled  and  developed 
into  a  stately  ship  with  lofty  masts,  long  yards,  and 
a  delicate  maze  of  rigging,  all  as  neat  and  trig  as 
though  she  had  but  just  emerged  from  the  dock- 
yard. 

The  sea  being  quite  smooth  after  we  had  once 
rounded  Shark  Point,  we  made  the  run  down  to  the 
sloop  in  about  an  hour,  passing  to  windward  of  her, 
and  then  jibing  over  and  rounding-to  on  her  lee 
quarter,  with  our  jib-sheet  to  windward. 

As  we  approached  the  sloop  I  noticed  that  lights 
were  still  burning  in  the  skipper's  cabin,  and  I 
thought  I  could  detect  a  human  face  or  two  peering 
curiously  out  at  us  from  the  ports.  The  dear  old 
hooker  was  of  course  riding  head  to  wind,  and  as 
we  swept  down  across  her  bows  within  easy  hailing 
distance  a  figure  suddenly  appeared  standing  on  the 
knight-heads,  and  Armitage's  voice  rang  out  across 
the  water  with  the  hail  of  : 

"  Schooner  ahoy  !  " 

"  Hillo  ! "  responded  Smellie. 

A  slight  and  barely  perceptible  pause;  and  then — 

"  "What  schooner  is  that  ?  " 


WE    REJOIN    THE    "  DAPHNE."  257 

"  The  Josef  a^  slave  schooner.  Is  that  Mr.  Armi- 
tage  ?  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  it  is.     Who  may  you  be,  pray  ?  " 

I  had  by  this  time  gone  aft  and  Avas  standing  by 
Smellie's  side.  The  schooner  was  just  jibing  over 
and  darting  along  on  the  Daphne's  starboard  side. 

"  Armitage  evidently  has  not  recognized  my  voice 
as  yet,"  remarked  Smellie,  "  or  else,"  he  added, 
"  they  have  given  us  up  on  board  as  dead,  and  he  is 
unable  so  suddenly  to  realize  the  fact  of  our  being 
still  alive." 

Then,  as  we  finally  rounded-to  under  the  Dajphne^s 
quarter,  Armitage  reappeared  aft,  and  the  confab 
was  renewed,  Smellie  this  time  taking  the  lead. 

"  Daphne  ahoy  !  "  he  hailed,  "  has  Captain  Yernon 
yet  retired  for  the  night  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  was  the  reply.  "  What  do  you 
want  ? " 

"  Kindly  pass  the  word  to  him  that  Mr.  Smellie 
and  Mr.  Hawkesley  are  alongside  in  a  captured 
slaver ;  and  say  we  shall  feel  greatly  obliged  if  he 
will  send  a  prize  crew  on  board  us  to  take  pos- 
session." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  will." 

Armitage  thereupon  disappeared,  and,  we  being 
at  the  time  to  leeward  of  the  sloop,  a  slight  but  dis- 
tinct commotion  became  perceptible  on  board  her. 
Presently  a  figure  appeared  in  the  fore-rigging,  and 
a  deep,  gruff,  hoarse  voice  hailed  : 

"  Schooner  ahoy  !    Did  you  say  as  Mr.  Smellie  and 
Mr.  Hawkesley  was  on  board  you  ? " 
17 


258  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Yes,  I  did.  Do  you  not  recognize  my  voice, 
Collins?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  in  course  I  does  now,^''  was  the  boat- 
swain's hearty  response.  Then  there  followed,  in 
lower  tones,  certain  remarks  of  which  we  could 
only  catch  such  fragments  as : 

" — lieutenant  hisself ,  by — reefer,  too ;  — man — rig- 
ging, you  sea-dogs — give — sailors'  welcome." 

Then  in  an  instant  the  lower  rigging  became  black 
with  the  figures  of  the  men,  and,  with  Collins  as 
fugleman,  they  greeted  our  unexpected  return  with 
three  as  hearty  cheers  as  ever  pealed  from  the 
throats  of  British  seamen. 

For  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  just  then  have 
spoken  a  w^ord  had  it  been  ever  so  necessary.  That 
hearty  ringing  British  cheer  gave  me  the  first  con- 
vincing assurance  that  I  was  once  more  safe  and 
among  friends,  and,  at  the  same  time,  enabled  me 
to  fully  realize,  as  I  never  had  before,  the  extreme 
peril  to  which  I  had  been  exposed  since  I  last  saw 
the  craft  that  lay  there  rolling  gracefully  upon  the 
ground-swell,  within  a  biscuit  toss  of  us. 

The  men  were  just  clearing  the  rigging  w^hen  a 
small,  slight  figure  appeared  on  the  sloop's  quarter, 
and  Captain  Yernon's  voice  hailed  us  through  the 
speaking-trumpet : 

"  Schooner  ahoy  !  How  many  hands  shall  I  send 
you  ? " 

"  A  dozen  men  will  be  sufficient,  sir,"  replied 
Smellie.  "  And  I  shall  feel  obliged  if  you  will  send 
with  them  the  necessary  officers  to  relieve  us.     We 


WE    REJOIN    THE    "  DAPHNE."  259 

are  both  hurt,  and  in  need  of  the  doctor's  serv- 
ices." 

"  You  shall  have  the  men  at  once,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Shall  I  send  Burnett  to  you,  or  can  you  come  on 
board  the  sloop  ?  " 

"  We  will  rejoin  the  sloop,  sir,  thank  you.  Our 
injuries  are  not  very  serious,"  replied  Smellie. 

"  Very  well,  be  it  so,"  returned  the  skipper,  and 
there  the  conversation  ended. 

The  next  moment  the  clear  tee-tee-tweetle-tweetle- 
weetle-ice-e-e-e  of  the  boatswain's  whistle  came  floating 
down  to  us,  followed  by  his  gruff,  "  Cutters  away  !  " 
and  presently  we  saw  the  boat  glide  down  the  ship's 
side,  and,  after  a  very  brief  delay,  shove  off  and  come 
sweeping  down  towards  us. 

Five  minutes  later  the  prize  crew,  under  Williams, 
the  master's  mate,  with  young  Peters,  a  fellow  mid 
of  mine,  as  his  second  in  command,  stood  upon  the 
schooner's  deck,  and  Mr.  Austin,  who  had  accom- 
panied them,  was  wringing  our  hands  as  though  he 
would  wring  them  off. 

Smellie  saw  the  exquisite  agony  which  our  warm- 
hearted "  first  luff  "  was  unconsciousl}^  inflicting  upon 
me  by  his  effusive  greeting,  and  thoughtfully  inter- 
posed with  a — 

"  Gently,  Edgar,  old  fellow.  I  am  afraid  you  are 
handling  poor  Hawkesley  a  little  roughly.  He  has 
received  rather  a  bad  hurt  in  the  right  shoulder  to- 
night in  our  fight  with  the  schooner's  people." 

"  Fight  ? — schooner's  people !  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Hawkesley ;  I  hope  I  haven't  hurt  you.     Why,  you 


26o  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

never  mean  to  say  you  have  had  to  fight  for  the 
schooner  ?  "     Austin  interrupted,  aghast. 

"  Well,  we  took  her  by  surprise  ;  but  her  people 
proved  very  troublesome,  and  very  pertinacious  in 
their  efforts  to  get  her  back  again,"  Smellie  replied. 
"  But,  come,  let  us  get  on  board  the  old  Daphne  once 
more.  I  long  to  set  foot  on  her  planks  again  ;  and, 
like  Hawkesley  here,  I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  renew 
my  acquaintance  with  Burnett." 

So  said,  so  done.  "We  made  our  way  into  the  boat, 
leaving  the  prize  crew  to  secure  the  prisoners,  and  a 
few  minutes  later  stood  once  more  safe,  if  not  alto- 
gether sound,  on  the  deck  of  the  dear  old  Daphne. 


A   STERN    CHASE— AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     261 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  STERN    CHASE — AND    A    FRUITLESS    ONE. 

"  "Welcome  back  to  the  Dciphne,  gentlemen  !  "  ex- 
claimed Captain  Vernon  as  he  met  us  at  the  gangway 
and  extended  his  hand,  first  to  Smellie  and  then  to 
me.  "  This  is  indeed  a  pleasant  surprise— for  all 
hands,  I  will  venture  to  say,  though  Armitage  loses 
his  step,  at  least  pro  tern.,  in  consequence  of  your 
reappearance,  Mr.  Smellie.  But  he  is  a  good-hearted 
fellow,  and  when  he  entered  my  cabin  to  report  you 
alongside,  though  he  seemed  a  trifle  incredulous  as 
to  your  personality,  he  was  as  delighted  as  a  school- 
boy at  the  prospect  of  a  holiday." 

Smellie  took  the  skipper's  extended  hand,  and  after 
replying  suitably  to  his  greeting,  said  : 

"  I  must  beg  you  will  excuse  Hawkesley,  sir,  if  he 
gives  you  his  left  instead  of  his  right  hand.  His 
starboard  shoulder  has  been  disabled  to-night  by  a 
pistol  bullet  whilst  supporting  me  most  intrepidly 
in  the  task  of  bringing  out  the  schooner." 

The  skipper  seized  my  left  hand  w4th  his  right, 
and  pressing  it  earnestly  yet  gently,  said  : 

"  I  am  proud  and  pleased  to  hear  so  gratifying  an 
account  of  you,  Hawkesley.     Mr.  Armitage  has  al- 


262  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ready  borne  witness  to  your  gallantry  during  the 
night  attack  upon  the  slavers  ;  and  it  was  with  deep 
and  sincere  sorrow  that  I  received  the  news  of  your 
being,  with  Mr.  Smellie,  missing.  I  fear,  gentlemen, 
your  friends  at  home  will  suffer  a  great  deal  of,  hap- 
pily unnecessary,  sorrow  at  the  news  which  I  felt  it 
my  duty  to  send  home  ;  but  that  can  all-  be  repaired 
by  your  personally  despatching  to  them  the  agreeable 
intelligence  of  your  both  being  still  in  the  land  of 
the  living.  But  what  of  your  hurts  ?  Are  they  too 
serious  to  be  attended  to  in  my  cabin  ?  They  are  not  ? 
I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  Then  follow  me,  both  of 
you,  please ;  for  I  long  to  hear  where  you  have  been, 
what  doing  all  this  time,  and  how  you  happened  to 
turn  up  so  opportunely  here  to-night.  I  will  send 
for  Burnett  to  bring  his  tools  into  my  cabin  ;  and 
you  can  satisfy  my  curiosity  whilst  he  is  doing  the 
needful  for  you.  Will  you  join  us,  Austin  ?  I'll  be 
bound  your  ears  are  tingling  to  hear  what  has 
befallen  these  wandering  knights." 

Thereupon  we  filed  down  below  in  the  skipper's 
wake — I  for  one  being  most  heartil}^  thankful  to  find 
myself  where  I  could  once  more  sit  down  and  rest 
my  aching  limbs.  The  skipper's  steward  brought 
out  some  wine  and  glasses,  and  then  at  Burnett's 
request — that  individual  having  promptly  turned  up 
— went  awa}^  to  get  ready  some  warm  water. 

"  I  think,"  said  our  genial  medico,  turning  to  me, 
"  you  look  in  most  urgent  need  of  my  services,  so  I 
will  begin  with  3'ou,  young  gentleman,  if  you  please. 
Now  whereabouts  are  vour  hurts  ?  " 


A   STERN    CHASE— AND    A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     263 

I  told  him,  and  he  straightway  began  to  cut  away 
the  sleeve  of  my  coat  and  shirt,  preparatory  to 
more  serious  operations ;  whilst  Smellie,  drawing 
his  chair  up  to  the  table,  helped  himself  to  a  glass 
of  wine,  and  then  said  : 

"  Before  I  begin  my  story,  sir,  will  you  permit 
me  to  ask  what  was  the  ultimate  result  of  that  most 
disastrous  expedition  against  the  slavers?  I  am 
naturally  anxious  to  know,  of  course,  seeing  that 
upon  my  shoulders  rests  the  odium  of  our  failure." 

Captain  Vernon  stared  hard  at  the  second  lieu- 
tenant for  a  minute,  and  then  said  : 

"  My  dear  Smellie,  what  in  the  world  are  you  talk- 
ing about  ?  Disaster !  Odium !  Why,  man,  the 
expedition  was  a  success,  not  a  failure.  I  admit  that 
there  was,  most  unfortunately,  a  very  serious  loss  of 
life  among  the  unhappy  slaves  ;  but  we  took  the 
brigantine  and  afterwards  raised  the  schooner,  Avith 
a  loss  to  ourselves  of  only  four  killed — now  that  you 
two  have  turned  up.  It  Avas  a  most  dashing  affair, 
and  admirably  conducted,  when  we  take  into  con- 
sideration the  elaborate  preparations  Avhich  had  been 
evidently  made  for  your  reception  ;  and  the  ultimate 
result  about  which  you  inquire  so  anxiously,  will,  I 
hope,  be  a  nice  little  bit  of  prize-money  to  all  hands, 
and  richly  deserved  promotion  to  yourself,  Armitage, 
and  young  "Williams." 

It  was  now  Smellie's  turn  to  look  surprised. 

"  You  astonish  me,  sir,"  he  said,  "  the  last  I  re- 
member of  the  affair  is  that,  after  a  most  stubborn 
and  protracted  fight,   in  which   the  schooner   was 


264  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

sunk,  we  succeeded  in  gaining  possession  of  the  brig, 
only  to  be  blown  out  of  her  a  few  minutes  later,  how- 
ever; and  my  own  impression — and  Hawkesley's 
too,  for  that  matter,  as  I  afterwards  discovered  on 
comparing  notes  with  him — was  that  our  losses  must 
have  amounted  to  at  least  half  of  the  men  compos- 
ing the  expedition." 

"  Well,"  said  Captain  Yernon,  "  1  am  happy  to 
tell  you  that  you  were  mistaken.  Our  total  loss 
over  that  affair  amounts  to  four  men  killed  ;  but  the 
severity  of  the  fight  is  amply  testified  to  by  the  fact 
that  not  one  man  out  of  the  whole  number  escaped 
without  a  wound  of  some  kind,  more  or  less  serious. 
They  have  all  recovered,  however,  I  am  happy  to 
say,  and  we  have  not  at  present  a  sick  man  in  the 
ship.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  slavers  some- 
how received  timely  notice  of  our  presence  in  the 
river,  through  the  instrumentality  of  3^our  fair-speak- 
ing friend,  the  skipper  of  the  Pensacola,  I  strongly 
suspect,  and  that  they  made  the  best  possible  use  of 
the  time  at  their  disposal.  Had  I  been  as  wise  then 
as  I  am  now  my  arrangements  would  have  been 
very  different.  However,  it  is  easy  to  be  wise  after 
the  event ;  and  I  am  thankful  that  matters  turned 
out  so  well.  And  now,  I  think  we  are  fairly  entitled 
to  hear  your  story." 

Thereupon  Smellie  launched  out  into  a  detailed 
recital  of  all  that  had  befallen  us  from  the  moment 
of  the  explosion  on  board  the  brig  up  to  our  un- 
expected arrival  that  same  night  alongside  the 
Daphne.     He  Avas  interrupted  by  countless  exclama- 


A   STERN    CHASE— AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     265 

tions  of  astonishment  and  sympath}^ ;  and  when  he 
had  finished  there  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  the  ques- 
tions which  one  and  another  was  anxious  to  put  to 
him.  In  the  midst  of  it  all,  however,  Burnett  broke 
in  with  the  announcement  that,  having  finished 
with  me,  he  was  ready  to  attend  to  the  second 
lieutenant. 

The  worthy  medico's  attention  to  me  had  been,  as 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  they  outlasted 
Smellie's  story,  of  somewhat  protracted  duration, 
and  that  they  w^ere  of  an  exceedingly  painful  char- 
acter I  can  abundantly  testify,  the  ball  having  broken 
my  shoulder-blade  and  then  buried  itself  among  the 
muscles  of  the  shoulder,  whence  Burnett  insisted  on 
extracting  it,  in  spite  of  my  protestations  that  I  was 
quite  willing  to  postpone  that  operation  to  a  more 
convenient  season.  After  much  groping  and  prob- 
ing about,  however,  utterly  regardless  of  the  ex- 
cruciating agony  he  thus  inflicted  upon  me,  the 
conscientious  Burnett  had  at  last  succeeded  in  ex- 
tracting the  ball,  which  he  kindly  presented  to  me 
as  a  memento,  and  then  the  rest  of  the  work  was, 
comparatively  speaking,  plain  sailing.  My  wound 
was  washed,  dressed,  and  made  comfortable  ;  and  I 
was  dismissed  with  a  strict  injunction  to  turn-in  at 
once. 

To  this  the  skipper  moved,  as  an  amendment,  that 
I  be  permitted  to  drink  a  single  glass  of  wine  before 
retiring  ;  and  w^hilst  I  was  sipping  this  they  turned 
upon  me  with  their  questions,  with  the  result  that  I 


266  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

soon  forgot  all  about  my  hammock.  At  length 
Captain  Yernon  said : 

"  By  the  bye,  Hawkesley,  what  sort  of  a  young 
lady  is  this  Dona  Antonia  whom  Mr.  Smellie  has 
mentioned  once  or  twice  ?  " 

"  She  is  simply  the  most  lovely  creature  I  have 
ever  seen,  sir,"  I  replied,  enthusiastically. 

" And  my  promised  wife,"  jerked  in  Smellie, 

in  a  tone  which  warned  all  hands  that  there  must  be 
no  jocularity  in  connection  with  the  mention  of  the 
dona's  name. 

"  Ho,  ho  !  "  ejaculated  the  skipper  with  a  whistle 
of  surprise.  "  That  is  how  the  wind  blows,  is  it  ? 
Upon  my  word,  Smellie,  I  heartily  congratulate  you 
upon  your  conquest.  Quite  a  romantic  affair,  really. 
And  pray,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  what  success  have  you 
met  with  in  Cupid's  warfare  ?  " 

"  None  whatever,  sir,"  I  replied  with  a  laugh. 
"  The  only  other  lady  in  Don  Manuel's  household 
was  old  Dolores,  Dona  Antonia's  attendant,  and  I 
was  positively  afraid  to  try  the  effect  of  my  fascina- 
tions upon  her." 

"  Lest  you  should  prove  only  too  successful," 
laughed  the  skipper.  "  By  the  way,  Smellie,  do  you 
think  this  Don  Manuel  was  quite  plain  and  above- 
board  with  you  ?  I  suppose  he  does  nothing  in  the 
slave-trading  business,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,  sir;  though  he  undoubtedly  pos- 
sesses the  acquaintance  of  a  certain  Seiior  Madera, 
a  most  suspicious-looking  character,  whose  name 
I   have   already   mentioned   to   you — by   the  way, 


A   STERN    CHASE — AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     267 

Ilawkesley,  you  were  evidently  mistaken  as  to  the 
Josef  a  belonging  to  Madera  ;  he  was  nowhere  to  be 
found  on  board  her." 

"  What  is  it,  Mr.  Armitage  % "  said  the  skipper 
just  then,  as  the  third  lieutenant  made  his  appearance 
at  the  door. 

"  A  vessel,  apparnetly  a  brig,  sir,  has  just  come  into 
view  under  the  northern  shore,  evidently  having  just 
left  the  river.  She  is  hugging  the  land  very  closely, 
keeping  well  under  its  shadow,  in  fact,  and  has  all 
the  appearance  of  being  anxious  to  avoid  attracting 
our  attention." 

The  skipper  glanced  interrogatively  at  Smellie, 
who  at  once  responded  to  the  look  by  saying: 

"  The  Black  Vemis,  without  doubt.  I  expect  that 
our  running  away  with  the  Josef  a  has  given  them 
the  alarm,  and  they  have  determined  to  slip  out 
whilst  the  option  remains  to  them,  and  take  their 
chance  of  being  able  to  give  us  the  slip." 

"  They  shall  not  do  that  if  I  can  help  it,"  remarked 
the  skipper,  energetically ;  and,  rising  to  his  feet, 
he  gave  orders  for  all  hands  to  be  called  forthwith. 
This  broke  up  the  party  in  the  cabin,  much  to  the 
gratification  of  Burnett,  who  now  insisted  that  both 
Smellie  and  I  should  retire  to  our  hammocks  forth- 
with, and  on  no  account  presume  to  leave  them  again 
until  we  had  his  permission. 

I  was  not  very  long  in  undressing,  having  secured 
the  services  of  a  marine  to  assist  me  in  the  opera- 
tion ;  but  before  I  had  gained  my  hammock  I  was 
rejoined  by  Keene,  a  brother  mid,  whose  watch  it 


268  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

was  below,  and  who  brought  me  down  the  news  that 
the  sloop  was  under  weigh  and  fairly  after  the 
stranger,  who,  as  soon  as  our  canvas  dropped  from 
the  yards,  had  squared  away  on  a  westerly  course 
Avith  the  wind  on  her  quarter  and  a  whole  cloud  of 
studding-sails  set  to  windward. 

"What  with  the  excitement  of  finding  myself  once 
more  among  so  many  friends  and  the  pain  of  my 
wound  it  was  some  time  before  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting to  sleep  that  night ;  and  before  I  did  so  the 
Dajphne  was  rolling  like  an  emj)ty  hogshead,  show- 
ing how  rapidly  she  had  run  off  the  land  and  into 
the  sea  knocked  up  by  the  gale. 

When  I  awoke  next  morning  the  wind  had  dropped 
to  a  considerable  extent,  the  sea  had  gone  down, 
and  the  ship  was  a  great  deal  steadier  under  her 
canvas.  I  was  most  anxious  to  leave  my  hammock 
and  go  on  deck,  but  tliis  Burnett  would  not  for  a 
moment  consent  to ;  my  wound  was  very  much 
inflamed  and  exceedingly  painful,  the  result,  doubt- 
less, of  the  probing  for  the  bullet  on  the  night 
before ;  and  instead  of  being  allowed  to  turn  out  I 
was  removed  in  my  hammock,  just  as  I  was,  to  the 
sick  bay.  I  was  ordered  to  keep  very  quiet,  but  I 
managed  to  learn,  nevertheless,  that  the  chase  was 
still  in  sight  directly  ahead,  about  nine  miles  distant, 
and  that,  though  she  certainly  was  not  running  away 
from  us,  there  seemed  to  be  little  hope  of  our  over- 
taking her  for  some  time  to  come. 

Matters  remained  in  this  unsatisfactory  state  for 
the  next  five  days,  the  Daphne  keeping  the  chase  in 


A   STERN    CHASE — AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     269 

sight  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  but  failing  to 
come  up  with  her.  The  distance  between  the  two 
vessels  varied  according  to  the  weather,  the  chase 
appearing  to  have  the  best  of  it  in  a  strong  breeze, 
whilst  the  Daphne  was  slightly  the  faster  of  the  two 
in  light  airs.  Unfortunately  for  us,  the  wind  contin- 
ued very  nearly  dead  fair,  or  about  three  points  on 
our  starboard  quarter,  whereas  the  sloop  seemed  to 
do  best  w^ith  the  wind  abeam.  "We  would  not  have 
objected  even  to  a  moderate  breeze  dead  in  our 
teeth,  our  craft  being  remarkably  fast  on  a  taut 
bowline  ;  and  as  day  after  day  went  by  without  any 
apparent  prospect  of  an  end  of  the  chase  the  barom- 
eter was  anxiously  watched,  in  the  hope  that 
before  long  w^e  should  be  favored  with  a  change  of 
weather. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  I  was  so  much 
better  that,  according  to  my  urgent  request,  Burnett 
consented,  with  many  doubtful  shakes  of  the  head, 
to  my  leaving  my  hammock  and  taking  the  air  on 
deck  for  an  hour  or  two.  I  accordingly  dressed  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  and  got  on  deck  just  in  time  to 
catch  sight  of  the  chase,  about  six  miles  distant, 
before  a  sea  mist  settled  down  on  the  scene,  which 
soon  effectually  concealed  her  from  our  view.  This 
Avas  particularly  exasperating,  since,  the  w4nd  having 
dropped  to  about  a  five-knot  breeze,  we  had  been 
slowly  but  perceptibly  gaining  on  her  for  the  last 
three  or  four  hours  ;  and  now,  when  at  length  there 
appeared  a  prospect  of  overtaking  her,  a  chance  to 
elude  us  in  the  fog  had  presented  itself.     Of  course 


270  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

it  was  utterly  impossible  to  guess  what  ruse  so  wary 
a  foe  would  resort  to,  but  that  he  would  have  recourse 
to  one  of  some  kind  was  a  moral  certainty.  Cap- 
tain Yernon  at  once  took  counsel  with  his  first  and 
second  lieutenants  as  to  what  course  it  would  be 
most  advisable  to  adopt  under  the  circumstances,  and 
it  was  at  last  decided  to  put  the  ship  upon  a  wind, 
and  make  short  tacks  to  the  eastward  until  the  fog 
should  clear,  it  being  thought  highly  probable  that 
the  chase  would  likewise  double  back  upon  her 
former  course  in  the  hope  of  our  running  past  her  in 
the  fog. 

The  studding-sails  were  accordingly  taken  in,  and 
the  ship  brought  to  the  wind  on  the  starboard  tack. 
"We  made  short  reaches,  tacking  every  hour,  and  had 
gone  about  for  the  third  time  w^hen,  just  as  the  men 
were  coiling  up  the  ropes  fore  and  aft,  the  lookout 
reported : 

"  Sail,  ho  !  straight  ahead.  Hard  up,  sir,  or  you 
will  be  into  her." 

Mr.  Austin,  who  had  charge  of  the  deck,  sprang 
upon  a  gun,  and  peered  out  eagerly  ahead. 

"  Hard  over,  my  man,  hard  over  !  "  he  exclaimed, 
excitedly  ;  then  continued,  after  a  moment  of  breath- 
less suspense : 

"  All  clear,  all  clear !  we  have^'w*^  missed  her,  and 
that  is  all.  By  Jove,  Hawkesley,  that  was  a  narrow 
squeak,  eh  ?  Why,  it  is  surely  the  Vestale  I  Vestale 
ahoy ! " 

"  Hillo ! "  was  the  response  from  the  other  craft, 
indubitably  the  brig  which  we  had  fallen  in  witk 


A   STERN    CHASE— AND    A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     271 

shortly  after  our  first  look  into  the  Congo,  and 
which  we  had.  been  given  to  understand  was  the 
Vestale,  French  gun-brig. 

"  Have  you  sighted  a  sail  of  any  kind  to-day  ?  " 
hailed  Austin. 

"  Non,  mon  Dieu  !  We  have  not  nevaire  seen  a 
sail  until  now  since  we  leave  Sierra  Leone  four  weeks 
ago." 

This  ended  the  communication  between  the  two 
ships,  the  Vestale — or  whatever  she  was — disap- 
pearing again  into  the  fog  before  the  last  words  of 
the  reply  to  our  question  had  been  uttered. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Austin,  as  he  jumped  down  off 
the  gun,  "  I  am  disappointed.  When  I  first  caught 
sight  of  that  craft  close  under  our  bows  I  thought 
for  a  moment  that  we  had  made  a  clever  guess  ; 
that  the  chase  had  doubled  on  her  track,  and  that, 
by  a  lucky  accident,  we  had  stumbled  fairly  upon 
her  in  the  fog.  But  as  soon  as  I  caught  sight  of  the 
white  figure-head  and  the  strealv  round  her  sides  I 
saw  that  I  was  mistaken.  Well,  we  may  drop  upon 
the  fellow  yet.  I  would  give  a  ten-pound  note  this 
instant  if  the  fog  would  only  lift." 

"  I  cannot  understand  it  for  the  life  of  me,"  I 
replied  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way,  as  I  stepped  gingerly 
down  off  the  gun  upon  which  I,  like  the  first 
lieutenant,  had  jumped  in  the  first  of  the  excite- 
ment. 

Mr.  Austin  looked  at  me  questioningly. 

"  What  is  it  that  you  cannot  understand,  Hawkes- 
ley  ? "  he  asked. 


2  72  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  That  brig — the  Vestale,  as  she  calls  herself — and 
all  connected  with  her,"  I  answered. 

"  Why  what  is  there  to  understand  about  her  ?  Or 
rather,  what  is  there  that  is  incomprehensible  about 
her?"  he  asked  sharply. 

^'' Everything^''  I  replied,  eagerly.  "  In  the  first 
place,  we  have  only  the  statement  of  one  man — and 
he  a  member  of  her  own  crew — that  she  actually  is 
the  veritable  Vestale^  French  gun-brig,  Avhich  we 
know  to  be  cruising  in  these  waters.  Secondly,  her 
very  extraordinary  resemblance  to  the  ^/c/cA-  Yenus^ 
which,  as  you  are  aware,  I  have  seen,  absolutely 
compels  me,  against  my  better  judgment,  to  the  be- 
lief that  the  two  brigs  are,  in  some  mysterious  way, 
intimately  associated  together,  if,  indeed,  they  are 
not  absolutely  one  and  the  same  vessel.  And  thirdly, 
my  suspicion  that  the  latter  is  the  case  receives 
strong  confirmation  from  the  fact  that  on  hoth  oc- 
casions when  we  have  been  after  the  one — the 
Black  Venus — we  have  encountered  the  other — the 
Yestaler 

Mr.  Austin  stared  at  me  in  a  very  peculiar  way  for 
a  few  minutes,  and  then  said  : 

"  Well,  Ilawkesley,  your  last  assertion  is  undoubt- 
edly true  ;  but  what  does  it  prove  ?  It  can  be  nothing 
more  than  a  curious  coincidence." 

"  So  I  have  assured  myself  over  and  over  again, 
when  my  suspicions  were  strengthened  by  the  first 
occurrence  of  the  coincidence  ;  and  so  I  shall  doubt- 
less assure  myself  over  and  over  again  during  the 
next  few  days,"  I  replied.     "But  if  a  coincidence 


A   STERN    CHASE— AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     273 

only  it  is  certainly  curious   that  it  should  have  oc- 
curred on  two  occasions." 

"  I  am  not  quite  prepared  to  admit  that,"  said  the 
first  lieutenant.  "  And,  then,  as  to  the  remarkable 
resemblance  between  the  two  vessels,  do  you  not 
think,  now,  honestly,  Hawkesley,  that  your  very 
extraordinary  suspicions  may  have  magnified  that 
resemblance  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  I ;  "  I  do  not.  I  only  wish  Mr.  Smellie 
had  been  on  deck  just  now  to  have  caught  a  glimpse 
of  that  inexplicable  brig  ;  he  would  have  borne  con- 
vincing testimony  to  the  marvelous  likeness  between 
them.  Why,  sir,  but  for  the  white  ribbon  round  the 
one,  and  the  difference  in  the  figure-heads,  the  two 
craft  would  be  positively  indistinguishable  ;  so  com- 
pletely so,  indeed,  that  poor  Richards  was  actually 
unable  to  believe  the  evidence  of  his  own  senses,  and, 
I  firmly  believe,  was  convinced  of  the  identity  of 
the  two  vessels." 

"  Indeed ! "  said  Mr.  Austin  in  a  tone  of  great  sur- 
prise. "  That  is  news  to  me.  So  Richards  shared 
your  suspicions,  did  he  ?  " 

"He  did,  indeed  sir,"  I  replied.  "  It  was,  in  fact, 
his  extraordinary  demeanor  on  the  occasion  of  our 
second  encounter  with  the  Vestale — you  will  remem- 
ber the  circumstance,  sir? — which  confirmed  my 
suspicions  ;  suspicions  which,  up  to  then,  I  had  attrib- 
uted solely  to  some  aberration  of  fancy  on  my  part. 
Then,  again,  when  we  questioned  the  skipper  of  the 
Pensacola  relative  to  the  Black  Venus  and  the 
Yestale,  how  evasive  were  his  replies  !  " 
i3 


274  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Look  here,  Hawkesley ;  you  have  interested  me 
in  spite  of  myself,"  said  Mr.  Austin.  "  If  you  are 
not  too  tired  I  should  like  you  to  tell  me  the  whole 
history  of  these  singular  suspicions  of  yours  from 
the  very  moment  of  their  birth." 

"  I  will,  sir,  with  pleasure.  They  rose  with  M. 
Le  Breton's  visit  to  us  on  the  occasion  of  our  first 
falling  in  with  the  Vestale^''  I  replied.  And  then 
having  at  last  finally  broached  the  subject  which  had 
been  for  so  long  a  secret  source  of  mental  disquiet 
to  me,  I  fully  detailed  to  the  first  luff  all  those  sus- 
picious circumstances — trifling  in  themselves  but 
important  when  regarded  collectively — which  I  have 
already  confided  to  the  reader.  "When  I  had  finished 
he  remained  silent  for  a  long  time,  nearly  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  I  should  think,  with  his  hands  clasped 
behind  his  back  and  his  eyes  bent  on  the  deck, 
evidently  cogitating  deeply.  Finally  he  emerged 
from  his  abstraction  with  a  start,  cast  an  eye  aloft 
at  the  sails,  and  then  turning  to  me  said : 

"  You  have  given  me  something  to  think  about  now 
with  a  vengeance,  Hawkesley.  If  indeed  your  suspi- 
cions as  to  the  honesty  of  the  Yestale  should  prove 
well-founded,  your  mention  of  them  and  the  acute 
perception  which  caused  you  in  the  first  instance  to 
entertain  them  will  constitute  a  very  valuable  service 
— for  which  I  will  take  care  that  you  get  full  credit 
— and  may  very  possibly  lead  to  the  final  detection 
and  suppression  of  a  series  of  hitherto  utterly  un- 
accountable transactions  of  a  most  nefarious  char- 
acter.    At  all  events   we  can  do  no  harm  by  keep- 


A   STERN   CHASE— AND   A    FRUITLESS   ONE.     275 

ing  a  wary  eye  upon  this  alleged  Yestale  for  the 
future,  and  I  will  make  it  my  business  to  invent 
some  plausible  pretext  for  boarding  her  on  the  first 
opportunity  which  presents  itself.  And  now  I  think 
3'^ou  have  been  on  deck  quite  as  long  as  is  good  for 
you,  so  away  you  go  below  again  and  get  back  to 
your  hammock.  Such  a  wound  as  yours  is  not  to  be 
trifled  with  in  this  abominable  climate  ;  and  you 
know  " — with  a  smile  half  good-humored  and  half 
satirical — "  Ave  must  take  everj^^  possible  care  of  a 
young  gentleman  who  seems  destined  to  teach  us, 
from  the  captain  downwards,  our  business.  There, 
now,  don't  look  hurt,  my  lad  ;  you  did  quite  right 
in  speaking  to  me,  and  I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you  for  so  doing ;  I  only  regret  that  you  did  not 
earlier  make  me  your  confidant.  Now  away  you 
go  below  at  once." 

I  of  course  did  dutifully  as  I  was  bidden,  and,  truth 
to  tell,  was  by  no  means  sorry  to  regain  my  ham- 
mock, having  soon  found  that  ray  strength  was  by 
no  means  as  great  as  I  had  expected.  That  same 
night  I  suffered  from  a  considerable  accession  of 
fever,  and  in  fine  was  confined  to  my  hammock  for 
rather  more  than  three  weeks  from  that  date,  at  the 
end  of  which  I  became  once  more  convalescent,  and 
— this  time  observing  proper  precautions  and  a  strict 
adherence  to  the  doctor's  orders^finally  managed 
to  get  myself  reported  as  once  more  fit  for  duty  six 
weeks  from  the  day  on  which  Smellie  and  I  rejoined 
the  Daphne.  I  may  as  well  here  mention  that  the 
fog  which  so  inopportunely  enveloped  us  on  the  day 


276  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

of  my  conversation  with  Mr.  Austin  did  not  clear 
away  until  just  before  sunset ;  and  when  it  did 
the  horizon  was  clear  all  round  us,  no  trace  of  a  sail 
being  visible  in  any  direction  from  our  main-royal 
yard. 


A  VERY   MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.      277 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

A  VERY  MYSTERIOUS     OCCUKKENCE. 

In  extreme  disgust  at  the  loss  of  the  notorious 
Black  Venus,  Captain  Yernon  reluctantly  gave 
orders  for  the  resum]>tion  of  the  cruise,  and  the 
Daphne  was  once  more  headed  in  for  the  land,  it 
being  the  skipper's  intention  to  give  a  look  in  at  all 
the  likely  places  along  the  coast  as  far  north  as  the 
Bight  of  Benin. 

This  was  terribly  tedious  and  particular!}'  trying 
to  the  men,  it  being  all  boat  work.  The  exploration 
of  the  Fernan  Yas  river  occupied  thirty  hours,  whilst 
in  the  case  of  the  Ogowe  river  the  boats  were  away 
from  the  ship  for  four  da3"s  and  three  nights  ;  the 
result  being  that  when  at  last  we  went  into  Sierra 
Leone  we  had  ten  men  down  with  fever,  and  had 
lost  four  more  from  the  same  cause.  The  worst  of 
it  all  was  that  our  labor  had  been  wholly  in  vain, 
not  a  single  prize  being  taken,  nor  a  suspicious  craft 
fallen  in  with.  Here  we  found  Williams  and  the 
prize  crew  of  the  Josef  a  awaiting  us  according  to 
instructions  ;  so  shipping  them  and  landing  the  sick 
men.  Captain  Yernon  lost  no  time  in  putting  to  sea 
once  more. 


278  THE    CONGO    ROVERSv 

On  leaving  Sierra  Leone,  a  course  was  shaped  for 
the  Congo,  and  after  a  long  and  very  tedious  passage, 
during  the  whole  of  which  we  had  to  contend  against 
light  head- winds,  we  found  ourselves  once  more  with- 
in sight  of  the  river  at  daybreak. 

It  was  stark  calm,  with  a  cloudless  sky,  and  a 
long,  lazy  swell  came  creeping  in  from  the  south- 
ward and  eastward,  causing  the  sloop  to  roll  most 
uncomfortably.  We  were  about  twelve  miles  off  the 
land,  and  at  about  half  way  between  us  and  it,  be- 
calmed like  ourselves,  there  lay  a  brig,  which  our 
telescopes  informed  us  was  the  Yestale.  On  this  fact 
being  decisively  ascertained,  Mr.  Austin  came  up  to 
me  and  said  : 

"  There  is  your  hete  noire,  the  Yestale,  once  more, 
you  see,  Hawkesley.  I  have  been  thinking  a  great 
deal  about  what  you  said  to  me  some  time  ago  respect- 
ing her,  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is 
quite  worth  our  while  to  look  into  the  matter,  at 
least  so  far  as  will  enable  us  to  judge  whether  your 
suspicions  are  av holly  groundless  or  not.  If  they  are 
— if,  in  fact,  the  craft  proves  to  be  what  she  professes 
herself — well  and  good;  we  can  dismiss  the  affair 
finally  and  forever  from  our  minds  and  give  our 
undivided  attention  to  other  matters.  But  I  confess 
you  have  to  a  certain  extent  imbued  me  with  your 
own  doubts  as  to  the  strict  integrity  of  yonder  brig ; 
there  are  one  or  two  little  matters  you  mentioned 
which  escaped  my  notice  and  which  certainly  have  a 
rather  suspicious  appearance.  I  therefore  intend — 
if  the  craft  is  bound  into  the  river  like  ourselves — to 


A   VERY    MYSTERIOUS    OCCURRENCE.         279 

make  an  early  opportunity  to  pay  her  a  visit  on  aom» 
pretext  or  other." 

"  Have  you  mentioned  the  matter  to  Captain  Yer- 
non  yet,  sir  ? "  I  inquired. 

"  No,  not  yet,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  must  have  some- 
thing a  little  more  definite  to  say  before  I  broach 
the  inatter  to  him.  But  here  comes  the  breeze  at 
last,  a  sea  breeze,  too,  thank  Heaven !  Man  the  braces 
fore  and  aft ;  square  away  the  yards  and  brail  in  the 
mizzen.  Hard  up  with  your  helm,  my  man,  and 
keep  her  dead  away  for  the  mouth  of  the  river." 

The  faint  blue  line  along  the  western  horizon  came 
creeping  gradually  down  toward  us,  and  presently  a 
catspaw  or  two  ruffled  the  glassy  surface  of  the  water 
for  a  moment  and  disappeared.  Then  a  deliciously 
cool  and  refreshing  draught  of  air  fanned  our  faces 
and  swelled  out  the  light  upper  canvas  for  an  instant, 
died  away,  came  again  a  trifle  stronger  and  lasted  for 
perhaps  half  a  minute,  then  with  a  flap  the  canvas 
collapsed,  filled  again,  the  sloop  gathered  way  and 
paid  off  with  her  head  to  the  eastward  ;  a  bubble  or 
two  floated  past  her  sides,  a  faint  ripple  arose  under 
her  bows,  grew  larger,  became  audible,  the  glassy 
surface  of  the  water  grew  gently  rufiled  and  assumed 
an  exquisite  cerulean  tint,  the  wheel  began  to  press 
against  the  helmsman's  hand,  and  away  we  went 
straight  for  the  mouth  of  the  river — and  the 
brig. 

The  breeze,  gentle  though  it  was,  reached  our 
neighbor  long  before  we  did,  and  as  soon  as  she  felt 
it  she,  too,  bore  up,  squared  her  yards,  and  headed 


2  8o  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

direct  for  Boolamberaba  Point.  She  was  about  three 
miles  ahead  of  us  when  the  breeze  reached  her,  and 
I  felt  very  curious  to  see  where  she  would  finally 
come  to  an  anchor.  The  only  safe  anchorage  is  in 
Banana  Creek,  and  though  slavers  constantly  resort 
to  numerous  other  creeks  and  inlets  higher  up  the 
river  no  captain  of  a  man-of-war  would  think  for  a 
moment  of  risking  his  ship  in  any  of  them  unless  the 
emergency  happened  to  be  very  pressing,  nor  even 
then  unless  his  vessel  happened  to  be  of  exceedingly 
light  draught.  If,  therefore,  the  brig  anchored  in 
Banana  Creek,  I  should  accept  it  as  a  point  in 
favor  of  her  honesty  ;  if  not,  my  suspicions  would  be 
stronger  than  ever. 

It  so  happened  that  she  did  anchor  in  Banana 
Creek,  but  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  up  it 
than  old  Mildmay,  the  master,  thought  it  prudent 
for  us  to  venture,  though  in  obedience  to  a  hint  from 
Mr.  Austin,  he  took  us  much  further  in  than  where 
we  had  anchored  on  our  previous  visit.  The  brig 
got  in  fully  half  an  hour  before  us,  her  canvas  was 
consequently  stowed,  her  yards  squared,  ropes  hauled 
taut  and  coiled  down,  and  her  boats  in  the  water, 
when  our  anchor  at  length  plunged  into  the  muddy 
opaque-looking  water  of  the  creek. 

We  were  barely  brought  up — and  indeed  the  hands 
were  still  aloft  stowing  the  canvas — when  a  gig 
shoved  off  from  the  brig  and  pulled  down  the  creek. 
A  few  minutes  later  she  dashed  alongside  and  M.  Le 
Breton  once  more  presented  himself  upon  our 
quarter-deck,   cap   in   hand,   bowing,  smiling,   and 


A   VERY    MYSTERIOUS    OCCURRENCE.        281 

grimacing  as  only  a  Frenchman  can.  His  visit, 
though  such  a  singularly  precipitate  one,  was,  it 
soon  turned  out,  merely  a  visit  of  ceremony,  which 
he  prolonged  to  such  an  extent  that  Captain  Vernon 
was  perforce  obliged  to  invite  him  down  below  to 
breakfast,  Mr.  Austin  and  I  being  also  the  skipper's 
guests  on  that  particular  morning.  In  the  course  of 
the  meal  he  made  several  very  complimentary  re- 
marks as  to  the  appearance  of  the  Daphne^  and 
finally — when  I  suppose  he  saw  that  he  had  thus 
completely  ^\'on  poor  Austin's  heart — he  very  politely 
expressed  his  extreme  desire  to  take  a  look  through 
the  ship,  a  desire  which  the  first  luff  with  equal 
politeness  assured  him  it  would  give  him  great 
pleasure  to  gratify. 

The  fellow  certainly  had  wonderfully  plausible 
and  winning  way  with  him,  there  was  no  denying 
that,  and  I  saw  that  under  its  influence  the  slight 
suspicions  which  I  had  imparted  to  poor  honest- 
hearted,  straightforward  Mr.  Austin  were  melting 
like  snowflakes  under  a  summer  sun.  Still,  under 
all  the  plausibilit}^  the  delicate  flattery,  and  the 
elaborate  politeness  of  the  man,  there  was  a  vague 
indefinable  something  to  winch  I  found  it  quite 
impossible  to  reconcile  myself ;  and  1  watched  him 
as  a  cat  does  a  mouse,  anxious  to  note  whatever 
suspicious  circumstances  might  transpire,  in  order 
that  I  might  be  fully  prepared  for  the  talk  with  the 
first  luff  which  I  felt  certain  would  closely  follow 
upon  our  visitor's  departure.  To  my  chagrin,  how- 
ever, I   was    on    this    occasion    wholly    unable   to 


282  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

detect  anythiDg  whatever  out  of  the  common,  and 
M.  Le  Breton's  broken  English,  upon  which  I  had 
laid  such  stress  in  my  former  conversation  with 
Mr.  Austin ;  was  now  quite  consistent  and  irre- 
proachable. He  was  taken  through  the  ship,  and 
shown  every  nook  and  corner  in  her,  and  finally 
about  noon  took  his  leave.  Just  before  going  down 
over  the  side  he  apologized  for  the  non-appearance 
of  "  Captain  Dubosc  "  upon  the  plea  that  that  gentle- 
man was  confined  to  his  hammock  with  a  severe 
attack  of  dysentery  ;  but  if  the  officers  of  the  Daphne 
would  honor  the  Yestale's  ward-room  with  their 
presence  at  dinner  that  evening  M.  Le  Breton  and 
his  brother  officers  would  be  "  enchanted."  And, 
apparently  as  an  afterthought,  when  his  foot  was 
on  the  top  step  of  the  gangway  ladder,  this  very 
agreeable  gentleman  urgently  requested  the  pleasure 
of  Mr.  Austin's  company  on  a  sporting  expedition 
which  he  and  one  or  two  more  were  about  to 
undertake  that  afternoon.  This  latter  invitation 
was  declined  upon  the  plea  of  stress  of  work ;  but 
the  invitation  to  dinner  was  accepted  conditionally 
upon  the  work  being  in  a  sufficiently  forward  state 
to  allow  of  the  officers  leaving  the  ship. 

We  were  indeed  exceedingly  busy  that  day,  Mr. 
Austin  having  determined  to  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunity  which  our  being  at  anchor  afforded  him 
to  lift  the  rigging  off  the  mastheads  and  give  it  and 
them  a  thorough  overhaul.  As  for  me,  I  was  en- 
gaged during  the  whole  of  the  day  in  charge  of  a 
boat's  crew,  filling  up  our  water  casks  and  tanks  and 


A  VERY   MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.        283 

foraging  in  the  adjacent  forest  for  a  supply  of  fruit, 
not  a  single  native  canoe  having  approached  us  dur- 
ing the  entire  day.  It  was,  consequently,  not  until 
late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  neck  of  the  day's 
work  was  broken  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
changing a  word  or  two  with  the  first  lieutenant  on 
the  subject  of  our  neighbor,  the  brig,  and  then  it 
was  only  a  word  or  two.  Mr.  Austin  opened  the 
conversation  with  : 

"  Well,  Hawkesle}^,  what  do  you  think  of  our 
friend  M.  Le  Breton,  now  that  you  have  had  an  op- 
portunity of  bettering  your  acquaintance  with  him  ? " 

"  "Well,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  on  the  whole  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  there  is  just  a  bare  possibility 
of  my  having  been  mistaken  in  my  estimate  of  him 
and  of  the  character  of  the  brig.     Still — " 

"  Still  your  mind  is  not  yet  quite  easy,"  Mr.  Austin 
laughingly  interrupted  me.  "  JS^ow,  what  could  you 
possibly  have  noticed  of  a  suspicious  character  in 
the  poor  fellow's  conduct  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  I  was  obliged  to  acknowledge.  "  I 
am  quite  prepared  to  admit,  sir,  a  total  absence  of 
those  peculiarities  of  manner  which  1  am,  certain 
existed  during  his  first  visit  to  the  ship.  But  did 
you  not  think  it  strange  that  he  should  be  in  such  a 
tremendous  hurry  to  come  on  board  us  this  morn- 
ing ?  At  first  I  was  inclined  to  think  his  object 
might  be  to  prevent  a  visit  from  some  of  us  to  the 
brig  ;  but  that  supposition  is  met,  to  some  extent, 
by  his  invitation  to  us  for  this  evening.  The  delay 
may,  of  course,  have  afforded  them  an  opportunity 


284  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

to  make  arrangements  for  our  reception  by  putting 
out  of  sight  any — " 

"  Any  tell-tale  evidences  of  their  dishonesty," 
laughed  the  first  luff.  "  Eeally,  Hawkesley,  I  must 
say  I  think  you  are  deceiving  yourself  and  worrying 
yourself  unnecessarily.  Of  course  I  can  quite  un- 
derstand how,  having  harbored  those  extraordinary 
suspicions  of  yours  for  so  great  a  length  of  time,  you 
now  find  it  difficult  to  dismiss  them  all  in  a  moment ; 
but  have  patience  for  a  few  hours  more ;  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  is  now  ofi'ered  us  for  satisfying 
ourselves  as  to  the  brig's  honajides^  and  you  may 
rest  assured  that  I  shall  make  the  very  best  use  of 
it.  I  find  I  shall  be  the  only  guest  of  the  French- 
man to-night — the  rest  of  the  officers  are  far  too  busy 
to  leave  the  ship,  and  indeed  /  can  hardly  be  spared, 
and  would  not  go  but  for  the  fact  that  it  would  look 
uncivil  if  we  in  a  body  declined  their  invitation ; 
but  I  will  see  that  to-morrow  you  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  going  on  board  and  investigating  for  your- 
self. And  now  I  must  be  off  to  make  myself  pre- 
sentable, or  I  shall  be  keeping  my  hosts  waiting,  and 
perhaps  spoil  their  dinner," 

"With  that  he  dived  below ;  and  I  turned  away  to 
attend  to  some  little  matter  connected  with  the 
progress  of  the  work.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
he  reappeared  on  deck,  clean-shaven,  and  looking 
very  handsome  and  seamanlike  in  his  best  suit  of 
uniform ;  and,  the  gig  being  piped  away,  he  went 
down  over  the  side,  giving  me  a  parting  nod  as  he 
did  so.     I  watched  the  boat  dash  up  alongside  the 


A  VERY    MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.        285 

brig;  noted  that  the  side  was  manned  in  due  form, 
that  our  worthy  "  first "  was  received  by  a  group  of 
officers  on  the  quarter-deck,  conspicuous  among 
whom  I  could  make  out  with  the  aid  of  my  glass 
M.  Le  Breton,  evidently  performing  the  ceremony 
of  introduction ;  and  then  the  work  being  finished, 
ropes  coiled  down,  and  everything  once  more  re- 
stored to  its  proper  place,  the  hands  were  piped  to 
tea,  and  I  descended  to  the  midshipmen's  den,  thor- 
oughly tired  out  with  my  unwonted  exertion. 

When  I  again  went  on  deck,  about  an  hour  later, 
the  stars  were  shining  brilliantly  ;  the  moon,  about 
three  days  old,  was  gleaming  with  a  soft,  subdued 
radiance  through  the  topmost  branches  of  the  trees 
on  the  adjacent  shore ;  and  the  night  mist  was  al- 
read}^  gathering  so  thickly  on  the  bosom  of  the  river 
that  the  brig  loomed  through  it  vague,  shadowy, 
and  indistinct  as  a  phantom  craft.  The  tide  was 
ebbing,  and  her  stern  was  turned  toward  us,  but  no 
lights  appeared  gleaming  through  her  cabin  win- 
dows, which  struck  me  as  being  a  little  strange 
until  I  remembered  that  M.  Le  Breton  had  spoken 
of  her  captain  being  ill.  A  few  of  our  lads  were 
amusing  themselves  on  the  forecastle,  dancing  to 
the  enlivening  strains  of  the  cook's  fiddle,  or  singing 
songs  ;  and  an  occasional  round  of  applause  or  an 
answering  song  came  floating  down  upon  the  gentle 
night-breeze  from  the  brig ;  but  as  the  fog  grew 
thicker  these  sounds  gradually  ceased,  we  lost  sight 
of  her  altogether,  and  so  far  as  sound  or  sight  was 
concerned  we  mio^ht  have  been  the  onlv  craft  in  the 


286  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

entire  river.  Our  own  lads  also  quieted  down ;  and 
finally  the  only  sounds  which  broke  the  solemn 
stillness  of  the  night  were  the  sighing  of  the  breeze, 
the  gentle  rustle  of  the  foliage,  and  the  loud  sonor- 
ous chirr,  chirr,  chirr  of  the  insects. 

It  was  about  half-past  nine  o'clock,  and  I  was 
just  thinking  of  going  below  to  turn  in  when  I  be- 
came conscious  of  the  sounds  of  a  commotion  of 
some  sort ;  a  muffled  cry,  which  seemed  to  me  like 
a  call  for  "  help  "  ;  a  dull  thud,  as  of  a  falling  body, 
and  a  splash !  The  sounds  certainly  proceeded 
from  the  direction  of  the  brig ;  and  I  thought  that 
they  must  have  emanated  from  a  spot  at  about  her 
distance  from  the  Daphne.  Tlie  slight  feeling  of 
drowsiness  which  had  possessed  me  took  flight  at 
once  ;  all  my  senses  became  instantly  upon  the  alert ; 
and  I  awaited  in  keen  expectancy  to  hear  if  any- 
thing further  followed.  In  A^ain  ;  the  minutes  sped 
past,  and  neither  sight  nor  sound  occurred  to  eluci- 
date the  mystery.  I  began  to  feel  anxious  and 
alarmed ;  my  old  suspicions  rose  up  again  like  a 
strong  man  aroused  from  sleep  ;  and  I  Avalked  aft 
to  Mr.  Armitage,  who  was  leaning  against  a  gun 
with  his  arms  folded,  and  his  chin  sunk  upon  his 
breast  evidently  in  deep  meditation.  He  started 
up  as  he  heard  my  footstep  approaching ;  and  on 
my  asking  if  he  had  heard  anything  peculiar  ahead 
of  us,  somewhat  shortly  acknowledged  that  he  had 
not.  I  thereupon  told  him  what  I  had  heard  ;  but 
he  evidently  attached  no  importance  to  my  ^l^iQ- 
ment,  suggesting  that '2y«n2/!;//?'w^  it  was  doubtless 


A   VERY   MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.        287 

some  of  the  Frenchmen  amusing  themselves.  I 
was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  this,  and,  my  un- 
easiness increasing  every  moment,  I  went  forward 
to  ascertain  whether  any  of  the  hands  on  the  fore- 
castle had  heard  the  mysterious  sounds.  I  found 
them  all  listening  open-mouthed  to  some  weird  and 
marvelous  yarn  which  one  of  the  topmen  was  spin- 
ning for  their  edification  ;  and  from  tliem  also  I 
failed  to  elicit  anything  satisfactory.  Finally,  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  me  that,  in  my  wanderings 
ashore,  I  had  often  noticed  how  low  the  night-mists 
lay  upon  the  surface  of  the  river  ;  and  it  now  struck 
me  that  by  going  aloft  I  might  get  sight  of  some- 
thing which  would  tend  to  explain  the  disquieting 
occurrence.  To  act  upon  the  idea  was  the  work  of 
a  moment ;  I  sprang  into  the  main  rigging  and 
made  my  way  aloft  as  rapidly  as  if  my  life  tlepended 
upon  it,  utterly  heedless  of  the  fact  that  the  rigging 
had  been  freshly  tarred  down  that  day  ;  and  in  less 
than  a  minute  had  reached  the  maintopmast  cross- 
trees.  As  I  had  anticipated  I  was  here  almost  clear 
of  the  mist ;  and  I  eagerly  looked  ahead  to  see  if 
all  was  right  in  that  quarter.  The  first  objects 
which  caught  my  eye  were  the  mastheads  of  the 
brig,  broad  on  our  starboard  bow  instead  of  directly 
ahead,  as  I  had  expected  to  find  them.  This  of 
itself  struck  me  as  being  somewhat  strange;  but, 
what  was  stranger  still,  iJiey  seemed  to  he  unac- 
countcibly  near  to  tis.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  and  looked 
at  them  again.  They  were  just  in  a  line  with  the 
tops  of  a  clump  of  trees  which  rose  like  islands  out 


288  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

of  the  silvery  mist,  and  as  I  looked  I  saAV  that  the 
spars  were  moving,  gliding  slowly  and  almost  im- 
perceptibly past  the  trees  toward  the  river.  The 
hrig  was  adrift.  I  listened  intently  for  quite  five 
minutes  without  hearing  the  faintest  sound  from 
the  craft,  and  during  that  time  she  had  neared  us 
almost  a  cable's  length.  In  another  minute  or  two 
she  would  be  abreast  of  and  within  a  couple  of 
ships'  lengths  of  us.  What  could  it  mean  ?  She 
could  not  by  any  possibility  have  struck  adrift  ac- 
cidentall3^  And  if  her  berth  was  being  intention- 
ally shifted  for  any  reason,  why  was  the  operation 
carried  out  under  cover  of  the  fog  and  in  such  pro- 
found silence  ?  There  had  been  no  sound  of  lifting 
the  anchor ;  nor  could  I  hear  anything  to  indicate 
that  they  were  running  out  warps  ;  it  looked  very 
much  as  though  they  had  slipped  their  cable,  and 
were  allowing  the  tide  to  carry  them  silently  out 
to  sea.  And  where  was  Mr.  Austin  during  this 
stealthy  movement  ?  Was  he  aware  of  it  ?  Why, 
if  my  supicions  were  correct,  had  they  invited  the 
officers  of  the  Da^pline  on  board  to  dinner?  Was  it 
merely  a  blind,  a  temporary  resort  to  the  usual 
courtesies  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  giving  color 
to  their  assumed  character  of  a  French  man-o'-war, 
or  was  it  a  diabolical  scheme  to  get  us  all  into  their 
power  and  so  deprive  a  formidable  antagonist  of  its 
head,  so  to  speak,  and  thus  cripple  it  ? 

All  these  surmises  and  many  others  equally  wild 
flashed  through  my  bewildered  brain  as  I  stood  there 
on  the  cross-trees  watching  the  stealthy,  phantom- 


A   VERY    MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.         289 

like  movement  of  the  brig's  upper  spars  ;  and  the 
conclusion  to  which  I  finally  came  was  that  Captain 
Vernon  ought  to  be  informed  forthwith  of  what  was 
going  on.  I  accordingly  descended  to  the  deck  and 
once  more  sought  out  the  third  lieutenant. 

"  Mr.  Armitage,"  said  I,  in  a  low,  cautious  tone  of 
voice,  "  the  brig  is  adrift,  and  driving  down  past  us 
with  the  tide  in  the  direction  of  the  river." 

"  The  brig  adrift !  "  he  repeated,  incredulously. 
"  Wonsense,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  you  must  be  dream- 
ing !  " 

"  Indeed  I  am  not,  sir,  I  assure  you,"  I  replied, 
earnestly.  "  I  have  this  moment  come  from  aloft, 
and  I  saw  her  top-gallant  masts  most  distinctly  over 
the  top  of  the  mist.  She  is  away  over  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  scarcely  a  cable's  length  distant  from  us." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  f  "  he  asked,  aroused  at  last 
by  my  earnest  manner  to  something  like  interest. 
"  I  can  hear  no  sound  of  her." 

"  N"o,  sir,"  I  replied  ;  "  and  that,  in  conjunction 
with  the  sounds  which  I  undoubtedly  heard  just  now 
makes  me  think  that  something  must  be  wrong  on 
board  her.  Do  you  not  think  the  matter  ought  to 
be  reported  to  Captain  Yernon  ? " 

"  Most  certainly  it  ought,"  he  agreed.  "Is  it  pos- 
sible that  the  crew  have  taken  the  ship  from  their 
officers,  think  you  ?  " 

"  I  scarcely  know  what  to  think,"  I  replied.  "  Let 
us  speak  to  the  captain  at  once,  and  hear  what  he 
has  to  say  about  it." 

Thereupon  the  third  lieutenant  directed  Keene, 
19 


290  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

one  of  the  midshipmen,  to  take  temporary  charge  of 
the  deck ;  and  we  at  once  dived  below. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Armitage,  what  is  it  ? "  asked  Captain 
Yernon,  as  we  presented  ourselves  in  the  cabin  and 
discovered  him  and  Mr.  Smellie  chatting  together 
over  their  wine  and  cigars. 

"  I  must  apologize  for  intruding  upon  you,  sir," 
said  Armitage  ;  "  but  Hawkesley  here  has  come  to 
me  with  a  very  extraordinary  stor}''  which  I  think 
you  had  better  hear  from  his  own  lips." 

"  Oh !  Well,  what  is  it,  Mr. .  Why,  Hawkes- 
ley, where  in  the  world  have  you  been,  and  what 
doing,  man  ?     You  are  positively  smothered  in  tar." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  glancing  at  myself  and  dis- 
covering for  the  first  time  by  the  brilliant  light  of 
the  cabin  lamp  the  woful  ruin  wrought  upon  my 
uniform.  "  I  really  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  for  pre- 
senting myself  in  this  plight,  but  the  urgent  nature 
of  my  business  must  be  my  excuse."  And  I  forth- 
with plunged  in  vnedias  res  and  told  what  I  had  heard 
and  seen. 

"  The  noise  of  a  scuffle  and  the  brig  adrift ! "  ex- 
claimed the  skipper.  "  The  crew  surely  cannot  have 
risen  upon  their  officers  and  taken  the  ship!"  the 
same  idea  promptly  presenting  itself  to  him  as  had 
occurred  to  the  third  lieutenant. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  I.  "  I  do  not  believe  that  is  it  at 
all ;  the  commotion  was  not  great  enough  or  pro- 
longed enough  for  that ;  all  the  officers  would  not  be 
likely  to  be  taken  by  surprise,  but  one  man  might 


A   VERY    MYSTERIOUS   OCCURRENCE.         29 1 

"  One  man  !  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  don't  under- 
stand you,"  rapped  out  the  skipper. 

"  "Well,  then,  sir,  to  speak  the  whole  of  my  mind 
plainly,  I  am  greatly  afraid  that  Mr.  Austin  has  met 
with  foul  play  on  board  that  brig,  and  that  she  is 
not  a  French  raan-o'-war  at  all,  as  she  professes  to 
be,"  I  exclaimed. 

I  saw  Smellie  start ;  and  he  was  about  to  speak 
when: 

"  Mr.  Austin  !  Foul  play  !  ISTot  a  French  man- 
o'-war ! !  "  gasped  the  skipper.  "  Why,  good  heavens  ! 
the  boy  is  mad  !  " 

"  If  I  am,  sir,  I  can  only  say  that  I  have  been  so 
for  the  last  four  months,"  I  retorted.  "  For  it  is 
fully  as  long  as  that,  or  longer,  that  I  have  had  my 
suspicions  about  that  brig  and  her  crew." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  Smellie.  "  Have  you^  too, 
suspected  the  brig? " 

"  I  have,  indeed,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Take  a  chair,  Hawkesley,"  interrupted  the  skip- 
per ;  "  pour  yourself  out  a  glass  of  wine,  and  let  us 
have  your  story  in  the  fewest  possible  words,  Mr. 
Armitage,  do  me  the  favor  to  ascertain  the  brig's 
present  whereabouts  and  let  me  know.  Now, 
Hawkesley,  we  are  ready  to  listen  to  you." 

As  the  skipper  ceased,  Armitage  bowed  and  with- 
drew, whilst  I  very  hastily  sketched  the  rise  and 
progress  of  my  suspicions,  from  M.  Le  Breton's  first 
visit  up  to  that  present  moment. 

Before  I  had  proceeded  very  far,  however,  Armitage 
returned  with  the  intelligence  that  the  brig  was  un- 


292  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

doubtedly  adrift  and  already  some  distance  astern 
of  us,  and  that  the  topman,  who  had  been  aloft  to 
inspect,  had  reported  that  he  thought  he  could  detect 
men  on  her  yards. 

"  Turn  up  the  hands  at  once  then,  sir,  if  you  please, 
and  see  everything  ready  for  slipping  our  cable  and 
making  sail  at  a  moment's  notice.  But  let  every- 
thing be  done  in  absolute  silence  ;  and  keep  a  hand 
aloft  to  watch  the  brig  and  report  anything  further 
he  may  notice  on  board  her ;  it  really  looks  as  though 
we  were  on  the  brink  of  some  important  discovery. 
I^ow  go  ahead  with  your  story,  Hawkesley,"  said 
the  skipper. 

I  proceeded  as  rapidly  as  possible,  merely  stating 
what  suspicious  circumstances  had  come  under  my 
own  notice,  and  leaving  Captain  Yernon  to  draw  his 
own  deductions.  "When  I  had  finished,  the  skipper 
turned  to  Smellie  and  said : 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  from  your  remark  made  a 
short  time  ago,  that  you,  too,  have  suspected  this 
mysterious  brig,  Mr.  Smellie  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Smellie,  "  I  certainly  had  a  vague 
feeling  that  there  was  something  queer  about  her ; 
but  my  suspicions  were  not  nearly  so  clear  and  strong 
as  Hawkesley's,  and  subsequent  events  quite  drove 
the  matter  out  of  my  mind." 

"  Um  !  "  remarked  the  skipper,  meditatively  ;  "  it 
is  strange,  very  strange,  /never  noticed  anything 
peculiar  about  the  craft." 

"  The  brig  is  now  about  half  a  mile  distant,  sir, 
and  is  making  sail,"  reported  Armitage  at  that  mo- 
ment, presenting  himself  again  at  the  cabin  door. 


A   VERY    MYSTERIOUS    OCCURRENCE.         2Q3 

"  Then  wait  until  the  hands  are  out  of  his  rigging  ; 
then  slip,  and  we  will  be  after  him.  I  intend  to  see 
to  the  bottom  of  this,"  returned  the  skipper,  sharply, 
"  There  is  undoubtedly  something  wrong  or  poor 
Austin  would  have  turned  up  on  board  before  mat- 
ters had  reached  this  stage.  But,  mind,  let  the  work 
be  carried  on  without  an  unnecessary  sound  of  any 
kind." 

As  Armitage  again  withdrew  and  Smellie  rose  to 
his  feet,  Captain  Yernon  turned  to  me  and  said : 

"  I  am  very  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  tlie  zeal 
and  discretion  you  have  manifested  in  this  most 
delicate  matter,  Hawkesley  ;  Avhatever  comes  of  it 
I  shall  remember  that  you  have  acted  throughout  to 
the  very  best  of  your  ability,  not  coming  to  me 
precipitately  with  a  vague,  unconnected  story,  but 
waiting  patiently  until  you  had  accumulated  a  suffi- 
ciency of  convincing  evidence  for  us  to  act  upon  ; 
though,  even  now  we  must  be  very  cautious  as  to 
what  we  do.  And  let  me  also  add  that  Mr.  Smellie 
has  spoken  to  me  in  the  highest  terms  of  your  con- 
duct throughout  that  trying  time  when  you  and  he 
were  ashore  together ;  indeed  he  assures  me  that  to 
you,  under  God,  he  is  indebted  for  the  actual  preser- 
vation of  his  life.  I  have  Avatched  you  carefully 
from  the  moment  of  your  first  coming  on  board,  and 
I  have  been  highly  gratified  with  your  conduct 
throughout.  Go  on  as  you  have  begun,  young  sir, 
and  you  will  prove  an  ornament  to  the  service.  And 
now,  gentlemen,  to  business," 


294  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

POOR    Austin's    fate. 

I  HURRIED  on  deck,  highly  gratified  at  the  very 
handsome  compliment  paid  me  by  the  skipper,  and 
found  that  the  hands  were  aloft,  casting  loose  the 
canvas.  Presently,  without  a  word  having  been 
spoken  above  a  whisper,  or  a  shout  uttered,  they 
came  down  again  ;  the  topsail  halliards  were  manned, 
the  yards  mast-headed ;  the  jib  run  up,  the  cable 
slipped,  and  we  were  under  weigh ;  the  fog  all  the 
time  being  as  thick  as  a  hedge,  so  thick  indeed  that 
it  was  impossible  to  see  the  jib-boom  end  from  the 
quarter-deck.  Old  Mildmay,  the  master,  was  con- 
ning the  ship ;  but  of  course  in  such  a  fog  it  was  all 
guesswork,  and  the  old  fellow  was  terribly  nervous 
and  anxious,  as  indeed  was  also  Captain  Yernon.  It 
struck  me  that  the  ship  might  be  better  conned  from 
aloft,  and  I  stepped  up  to  the  skipper  and  with  due 
modesty  mentioned  my  idea. 

"  A  very  happy  thought !  "  exclaimed  the  master, 
who  happened  to  overhear  me.  "  Til  just  step  up  as 
far  as  the  crosstrees  myself." 

"  Yery  good,  Mr.  Mildmay ;  do  so  by  all  means," 
said  Captain  Yernon.  But  the  wind  is  light,  and 
what  little  of  it  there  is  will  carry  the  sound  of  your 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  295 

voice  down  to  the  brig  if  you  hail  the  deck,  and  so 
apprise  them  of  our  approach.  We  must  avoid  that 
if  possible ;  I  want  to  get  alongside  the  craft  and 
take  her  by  surprise,  and  we  may  have  some  trouble 
in  accomplishing  that  if  they  suspect  that  we  are 
after  them.  The  Daphne  is  a  fast  ship,  but  so  also 
is  the  brig,  and  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  she 
has  not  the  heels  of  us.  We  must  devise  a  little  code 
of  signals  from  you  to  the  deck,  so  as  to  obviate  any 
necessity  for  hailing.  Can  any  one  suggest  any- 
thing?" 

A  very  simple  plan  had  occurred  to  me  whilst  the 
skipper  was  speaking,  and  as  no  one  else  seemed  to 
have  a  suggestion  to  make,  I  offered  mine. 

"  If  the  pennant  halliards  were  cast  adrift  down 
here  on  deck,  sir,  and  held  by  one  of  us,"  I  said, 
"  Mr.  Mildmay  could  get  hold  of  them  aloft,  and 
one  tug  upon  them  might  mean  '  port,'  two  tugs 
'  starboard,'  and  three  '  steady.'  " 

"Excellent!"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  "and  per- 
fectly simple  ;  we  will  adopt  it  forthwith,  and  you 
shall  attend  to  the  deck-end  of  the  halliards,  Mr. 
Hawkesley,  with  Mr.  Keene  and  Mr.  Peters  to  pass 
the  word  from  you  along  the  deck  to  the  helmsman. 
Place  us  in  a  good  weatherly  position,  Mr.  Mildmay, 
if  you  please,  so  that  when  we  run  clear  of  the  fog 
the  brig  may  have  no  chance  to  dodge  us." 

"  Ay  ay,  sir,  never  fear  for  me,"  answered  Old 
Mildmay  as  he  swung  nimbly  into  the  main  rigging, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  his  body  disappeared  in  the  mist. 

The  old  fellow  soon  put  us  in  the  right  course,  and 


296  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

away  we  went,  crowding  sail  after  the  invisible 
brig.  An  anxious  half-hour  followed,  and  then  we 
ran  out  of  the  fog  and  found  ourselves  creeping  along 
parallel  with  the  land  to  the  northward  of  the  river- 
mouth,  with  the  brig  about  half  a  mile  ahead  of  us 
under  every  stitch  of  canvas  she  could  show  to  the 
freshening  land-breeze.  We  had  gained  on  her  con- 
siderably, the  master  having  kept  a  keen  eye  upon 
her  gleaming  upper  canvas  whilst  piloting  us  out  of 
the  river  and  steering  in  such  a  direction  as  to  very 
nearly  cut  her  off  altogether.  He  of  course  came 
down  on  deck  as  soon  as  we  had  cleared  the  fog, 
and  Captain  Yernon  at  once  ordered  the  crew  to 
quarters. 

The  men  were  not  long  in  getting  to  their  stations, 
and  when  all  was  read}^  a  gun  was  fired  after  the 
flying  brig,  as  a  polite  request  for  her  to  heave-to, 
and  the  ensign  hoisted  to  the  peak.  I  was  naturally 
very  anxious  to  see  what  notice  would  be  taken  of 
this,  since  the  somewhat  high-handed  course  we  were 
taking  with  the  craft  had  been  adopted  entirely 
upon  the  strength  of  my  representations ;  and  if  the 
brig  should,  after  all,  turn  out  to  be  the  Veatale  French 
gun-brig  as  she  had  pretended  to  be,  our  skipper 
might  perhaps  involve  himself  in  a  considerable 
amount  of  trouble.  It  was  therefore  with  a  sigh  of 
real  and  genuine  relief  that  I  heard  a  shot  come 
whistling  close  past  us  from  the  brig  in  reply  to  our 
own. 

Captain  Yernon,  too,  was  evidently  much  relieved, 
for  he  ejaculated  in  tones  of  great  satisfaction ; 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  297 

"  Good  !  she  has  fired  a  shotted  gun  at  us  and  re- 
fuses to  show  her  colors.  Noio  my  course  is  per- 
fectly clear.  Try  the  effect  of  another  gun  on  her, 
Mr.  Armitage,  and  aim  at  her  spars ;  she  is  skim- 
ming along  there  like  a  witch,  and  if  we  are  not 
careful  will  give  us  the  slip  yet." 

Armitage,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  battery  for- 
ward, upon  this  began  peppering  away  at  her  in 
earnest ;  but  though  the  shot  made  daylight  through 
her  canvas  every  time,  no  damage  Avas  done  either 
to  her  spars  or  rigging,  and  it  began  to  be  only  too 
evident  that  she  was  gradually  creeping  away  from 
us.  To  make  matters  worse,  too,  her  crew  were 
just  as  smart  with  their  guns  as  we  were  with  ours, 
in  fact  a  trifle  more  so,  for  before  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  had  passed  several  of  our  ropes,  fortunately  un- 
important ones,  had  been  cut ;  and  at  length  a  thud 
and  a  crack  aloft  turned  all  eyes  in  that  direction, 
to  see  the  fore  royal-mast  topple  over  to  leeward. 

Captain  Yernon  stamped  upon  the  deck  in  the 
height  of  his  vexation. 

"  Away  aloft,  there,  and  clear  the  wreck,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  and,  for  Heaven's  sake,  Mr,  Armitage,  see 
if  you  cannot  cripple  the  fellow.  Ten  minutes  more 
and  he  will  be  out  of  range  ;  then  '  good-by  '  to 
him.  I  wish  to  goodness  our  people  at  home  would 
condescend  to  take  a  lesson  in  ship-building  from 
the  men  who  turn  out  these  slavers ;  we  should  then 
have  a  chance  of  making  a  capture  occasionally." 

Whilst  the  skipper  had  been  thus  giving  vent  to 
his  rapidly  increasing  chagrin,  Smellie  had  walked 


298  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

forward  ;  and  presently  I  caught  sight  of  him  stoop- 
ing down  and  squinting  along  the  sights  of  the  gun 
which  had  just  been  re-loaded  and  run  out.  A  few 
seconds  of  anxious  suspense  followed,  and  then  came 
a  flash  and  a  sharp  report,  followed  the  next  mo- 
ment by  a  ringing  cheer  from  the  men  on  the  fore- 
castle. The  brig's  fore-yard  had  been  shot  away 
in  the  slings. 

The  craft  at  once  shot  up  into  the  wind  and  lay 
apparently  at  our  mercy. 

"  Ram  us  alongside  him,  Mildmay,"  exclaimed  the 
skipper  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight.  "  Stand  by  with 
the  grappling  irons  fore  and  aft.  Mr.  Smellie,  stand 
by  to  lead  a  party  on  board  him  forward  ;  I  will 
attend  to  matters  aft  here." 

It  really  looked  for  a  moment  as  though  we  ac- 
tually had  the  brig  ;  but  a  chill  of  disappointment 
thrilled  through  me  when  I  saw"  how  splendidly  she 
was  handled.  The  man  who  commanded  her  was 
evidently  equal  to  any  emergency,  for  no  sooner  did 
the  craft  begin  to  luff  into  the  wind  than  he  let  fly 
his  after  braces,  shivered  his  main  topsail,  and  hauled 
his  head  sheets  over  to  windward,  and — after  a  pause 
which  must  have  sent  the  hearts  of  all  on  board 
into  their  mouths — the  brig  began  to  pay  off  again, 
until,  by  a  deft  and  dainty  manipulation  of  her 
canvas,  she  was  actually  got  dead  before  the  wind, 
when  the  main  yard  was  squared  and  away  she 
went  once  more  but  little  the  worse  for  her  serious 
mishap. 

If  her  skipper,  however,  was  a  thorough  seaman, 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  299 

SO  too  was  old  Mildmay.  That  experienced  veteran 
soon  saw  how  matters  were  tending,  and  though  he 
was  unable  to  "  ram  "  us  alongside  in  accordance 
with  Captain  Vernon's  energetically  expressed 
desire,  he  placed  the  Daphne  square  in  the  wake 
and  to  windward  of  the  brig,  and  within  half  a 
cable's  length  of  her,  thus,  to  some  extent,  taking 
the  wind  out  of  her  sails,  the  effect  of  which  was 
that  we  immediately  began  to  gain  upon  her. 

The  crew  of  the  brig  now  worked  at  their  stern- 
chasers  with  redoubled  energy,  and  our  running-gear 
soon  began  to  suffer.  But  though  we  might  to  some 
extent  have  avoided  this  by  sheering  away  on  to  one 
or  other  of  the  brig's  quarters,  the  position  we  then 
held  was  so  commanding  that  the  skipper  resolved 
to  maintain  it.  "  We  must  grin  and  bear  it,"  said 
he,  "  it  will  not  be  for  long  ;  another  five  minutes  will 
place  us  alongside.  Edge  down  a  trifle  toward  his 
port  quarter,  Mildmay,  as  though  Ave  intended  to 
board  her  on  that  side,  then  at  the  last  moment, 
sheer  sharply  across  his  stern  and  range  up  on  his 
starboard  side ;  it  may  possibly  save  us  a  broadside 
as  we  board.  Mr.  Smellie,  kindly  load  both  batteries 
with  round  and  grape,  if  you  please  ;  we  will  deliver 
our  broadside  and  board  in  the  smoke." 

"Within  the  specified  five  minutes  we  ranged  up 
alongside  the  brig,  delivered  our  broadside,  receiving 
hers  in  return,  her  hands  proving  too  smart  to  let 
us  escape  that ;  our  grappling  irons  were  securely 
hooked  into  her  rigging,  and  away  we  went  on  board 
her  fore  and  aft,  being  perhaps  a  second  ahead  of  the 


300  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

brig's  crew,  who  actually  had  the  hardihood  to  at- 
tempt to  board  tcs.  We  were  stoutly  met  by  as 
motley,  and,  at  the  same  time,  as  ruffianly  a  set  of 
men  as  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  encounter ;  and  a 
most  desperate  struggle  forthwith  ensued.  Captain 
Yernon  of  course  took  care  to  be  first  on  board  ;  but 
I  stuck  .close  to  his  coat-tails,  and  almost  the  first 
individual  we  encountered  was  no  less  a  personage 
than  our  old  acquaintance  M.  Le  Breton  himself. 
He  pressed  fiercely  forward  and  at  once  crossed 
swords  with  the  skipper,  who  exchanged  two  or 
three  passes  with  him ;  but  the  two  were  soon 
separated  by  the  surging  crowd  of  combatants,  and 
then  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  him.  I  was 
by  no  means  a  skilled  swordsman,  and  to  tell  the 
truth  felt  somewhat  nervous  for  a  moment  as  his 
blade  jarred  and  rasped  upon  mine.  By  great  good 
fortune,  however,  I  succeeded  in  parrying  his  first 
thrust,  and  the  next  instant— how  it  happened  I 
could  not  possibly  sa}^ — he  reeled  backwards  with  my 
sword-blade  right  through  his  body.  Leaving  him 
dying,  as  I  thought,  on  deck,  I  immediately  pressed 
forward  after  the  skipper,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
was  kept  pretty  bus}",  first  with  one  antagonist  and 
then  another.  Finally,  after  a  fiercely  maintained 
struggle  of  some  twelve  minutes  or  so,  the  brig's 
crew  began  to  give  way  before  our  own  lads,  until, 
finding  themselves  hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  they  flung 
down  their  arms  and  begged  for  quarter,  Avhich  was 
■of  course  given  them.  Upon  this,  seeing  that  the 
'skipper  and  Smellie  were  both  safe,  I  turned  to  go 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  30I 

below,  thinking  that  I  should  perhaps  discover  poor 
Austin  in  durance  vile  in  one  of  the  staterooms.  I 
descended  the  cabin  staircase,  and  was  about  to  pass 
into  the  saloon  when  I  happened  to  catch  sight,  out 
of  the  corner  of  my  eye,  of  some  dark  object  moving 
in  an  obscure  corner  under  the  staircase.  Turning 
to  take  a  more  direct  look  at  it,  I,  to  my  great  sur- 
prise discovered  it  to  be  M.  Le  Breton,  who,  instead 
of  being  dead  as  I  had  quite  imagined  he  must  be, 
was  alive,  and,  seemingly,  not  very  much  the  worse 
for  his  wound.  He  carried  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  and 
was  in  the  very  act  of  lowering  himself  down  through 
a  trap  in  the  flooring  when  I  grasped  him  by  the 
collar  and  invited  him  to  explain  his  intentions.  He 
quietly  allowed  me  to  drag  him  out  of  the  opening, 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  then  suddenly  closed  with  me, 
aiming  fierce  blows  at  ni}"  uncovered  head — I  had 
lost  my  hat  somehow  in  the  struggle  on  deck — with 
the  heavy  brass-mounted  butt  of  his  pistol.  In  such 
an  encounter  as  this  I  did  not  feel  very  much  afraid 
of  him,  being  tall  for  ni}'  age,  and  having  developed 
a  fair  share  of  muscular  strength  since  leaving  Eng- 
land ;  but  it  was  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  hold  him 
and  at  the  same  time  prevent  his  inflicting  some 
serious  injury  upon  me.  His  wound,  however,  told 
upon  him  at  last,  and  I  eventually  succeeded  in 
dragging  him  back  to  the  deck,  though  not  until 
after  he  had  ineffectually  emptied  his  pistol  at  me. 

On  regaining  the  deck  I  found  our  lads  busy 
securing  the  prisoners,  and  M.  Le  Breton  was  soon 
made  as  safe  as  the  rest  of  them. 


302  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

He  was  loudly  protesting  against  the  indignity  of 
being  bound,  when  Captain  Yernon  approached. 

"  Oh !  here  you  are,  Hawkesley  !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  I  was  looking  for  you,  and  began  to  fear  that  you 
had  met  with  a  mishap.  Do  me  the  favor  to  step 
below  and  see  if  you  can  discover  anything  of 
Mr.  Austin." 

"  I  have  already  once  been  below  with  that  ob- 
ject, sir,"  I  replied  ;  "  but,  discovering  this  man — Le 
Breton  as  he  calls  himself — acting  in  a  very  suspi- 
cious manner,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  see  him  safe 
on  deck  before  proceeding  further  in  my  quest." 

"  What  was  he  doing  ?  "  asked  the  skipper  sharply. 

"I  vill  tell  you,  sare,  vat  I  was  doing,"  inter- 
rupted Le  Breton  recklessly.  "  I  vas  on  my  vay  to 
ze  zoute  aux  poudres  to  blow  you  and  all  ze  people 
to  ze  devil  to  keep  company  wiz  your  inqueezatif 
first  leftenant.  And  I  would  have  done  eet,  too, 
but  for  zat  pestilent  midshipman,  who  have  ze  gripe 
of  ze  devil  himself.  Peste  !  you  Eengleesh,  you  are 
like  ze  bouledogue,  ven  you  take  hold  you  not  nevare 
let  go  again." 

"  There,  Hawkesley,  what  do  you  think  of  that 
for  a  compliment  ? "  laughed  the  skipper.  "  So, 
monsieur,"  he  resumed,  "  you  were  about  to  blow  us 
up,  eh  ?  Yery  kind  of  you,  I'm  sure.  Perhaps  you 
will  increase  our  obligation  to  you  by  informing  me 
what  you  have  done  with  Mr.  Austin  ? " 

"  Done  wiz  him ! "  reiterated  Le  Breton  with  a 
diabolical  sneer.  "  Why,  I  have  sent  him  to  ze 
bottom  of  ze  creek,  where  I  would  have  sent  you  all 


FOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  303 

if  you  had  not  been  too  cautious  to  accept  my  polite 
invitation." 

"  Do  I  understand  you  to  mean  that  you  have 
tnurdered  him  ?  "  thundered  the  skipper. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reckless  answer ;  "  drowned  him 
or  murdered  him,  call  it  what  you  will." 

"  You  treacherous  scoundrel !  "  ejaculated  the 
skipper  hoarsely ;  "  you  shall  be  made  to  bitterly 
account  for  this  unprovoked  outrage ;  clap  him  in 
irons,"  turniug  to  the  master-at-arms,  who  happened 
to  be  close  at  hand.  "  Poor  Austin  !  "  he  continued. 
"  Your  suspicions,  Hawkesley,  have  proved  o\\\y  too 
correct ;  the  craft  is,  unquestionably,  a  slaver — or 
worse.  We  must  have  her  thoroughly  overhauled  ; 
possil)ly  some  documents  of  great  value  ma}^  be 
found  stowed  away  somewhere  or  other.  I'll  see  to 
it  at  once."     And  he  forthwith  dived  below. 

The  prisoners  having  been  secured,  the  dead  and 
wounded  were  next  attended  to,  the  former  beino- 
lashed  up  in  their  hammocks  ready  for  burial,  whilst 
the  latter  were  carefully  conveyed  below  to  receive 
such  attention  as  the  surgeon  and  his  assistant  could 
bestow.  The  brig's  loss  was  very  severe,  sixteen  of 
her  men  having  been  killed  and  twent3'-two  wounded 
— principally  by  our  final  broadside — out  of  a  total 
of  sixty  hands.  Our  own  loss  was  light,  considering 
the  determination  with  which  the  enemy  had  fought, 
amounting  to  only  eleven  wounded.  As  soon  as  a 
sufficiency  of  hands  could  be  spared  for  the  purpose, 
the  brig's  square  canvas  was  furled,  a  prize  crew  was 
told  off  to  take  charge  of  her,  and  the  two  craft 


304  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

then  made  sail  in  company — the  brig  under  her  fore- 
and-aft  canvas  only — for  the  anchorage  under  Padron 
Point,  where  we  brought  up  about  a  couple  of  hours 
later.  Captain  Yernon  then  returned  to  the  Dajyhne 
in  the  brig's  gig,  bringing  with  him  a  bundle  of 
papers,  and  leaving  Smellie  in  charge  of  the  prize  ; 
an  anchor  watch  was  set,  and  all  hands  then  turned 
in,  pretty  well  tired,  but  highly  elated  at  the  result 
of  our  evening's  work. 

At  daybreak  next  morning  both  vessels  weighed 
and  returned  to  their  former  berths  in  Banana 
Creek,  the  Dapline  picking  up  the  cable  which  she 
had  slipped  on  the  previous  night.  The  dead  were 
then  buried  on  the  little  island  which  lies  on  the 
east  side  of  the  creek ;  after  which  the  carpenter 
and  boatswain  with  their  mates  were  set  to  work 
upon  the  necessary  repairs  to  the  brig.  This  craft 
now  proved  to  be  English  built,  having  been  turned 
out  of  a  Shoreham  shipyard,  and  originally  regis- 
tered under  the  name  of  the  Virginia;  but  how 
she  had  come  to  get  into  the  hands  of  the  individ- 
uals from  whom  we  took  her  there  was  nothing  to 
show.  She  was  completely  fitted  for  carrying  on 
the  business  of  a  slaver  ;  but  from  the  nature  of 
the  goods  discovered  in  her  after  hold — which  was 
quite  separate  from  her  main  hold — there  could  be 
no  doubt  that  she  had  also  done  a  little  piracy 
whenever  a  convenient  opportunity  had  presented 
itself. 

I  was  sent  away  directly  after  breakfast  that 
morning  in  charge  of  a  couple  of  boats  with  orders 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  305 

to  drag  tlie  creek  for  poor  Mr.  Austin's  body,  and 
in  little  more  than  au  hour  we  fortunately  found 
it  quite  unhijured.  The  poor  fellow  had  evidently 
been  taken  completely  by  surprise,  a  gag  being  in 
his  mouth,  and  his  hands  manacled  behind  him, 
with  a  stout  canvas  bag  containing  two  IS-pound 
shot  lashed  to  his  feet.  We  took  the  body  on  board 
the  Daphne^  and  it  was  at  once  conveyed  below  to 
his  own  cabin,  pending  the  construction  of  a  coffin, 
the  ensign  being  at  the  same  time  hoisted  half  up 
to  the  peak. 

This  melancholy  duty  performed,  I  was  again 
sent  away  to  drag  for  the  anchor  and  cable  slipped 
by  the  Virginia  on  the  previous  evening,  and  these 
also  I  found,  weighed,  and  conveyed  on  board  the 
prize,  w^here,  under  Smellie's  able  supervision,  the 
work  of  repairing  and  refitting  was  going  on  apace. 

About  noon  that  same  day,  a  strange  brig  entered 
the  river  with  the  French  flag  flying  at  her  peak, 
and  brought  up  in  the  creek  about  a  cable's  length 
astern  of  us.  TTe  w^ere  at  once  struck  with  the 
marked  resemblance  which  the  stranger  bore  to  the 
Virginia — though  it  was  by  no  means  so  striking 
as  the  similarity  between  our  prize  and  the  Black 
Venus — and  we  forthwith  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  now  at  last  beheld  the  veritable  Vestale — 
the  real  Simon  Pure — before  us.  And  so,  upon 
Armitage  boarding  her,  she  proved  to  be  ;  her  cap- 
tain, upon  hearing  of  the  extraordinary  personation 
of  his  craft  so  successfully  played  off  upon  us  by 
the  Virginia,  actually  producing  his  commission  to 
20 


306  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

prove  his  hona-fides.  During  the  course  of  this 
somewhat  eventful  day,  also  one  of  our  lads  learned 
from  one  of  the  prisoners  that  on  the  occasion  of 
our  second  encounter  with  the  Virginia — when  she 
so  cleverly  pretended  to  be  in  pursuit  of  the  Black 
Venus — she  was  actually  making  the  best  of  her 
way  to  Havana  with  the  three  hundred  slaves  on 
board  Avhich  she  had  accused  her  sister  ship  of 
carrying  off,  and  that  her  elaborate  signaling  on 
that  occasion  was  merely  resorted  to  for  the  purpose 
of  hoodwinking  us. 

At  four  o'clock  that  afternoon,  Mr.  Austin's  body 
having  been  deposited  in  the  coffin  which  had  been 
prepared  for  it,  the  hands  were  mustered  on  deck  in 
their  clean  clothes,  the  boats  were  hoisted  out,  and 
the  body  was  deposited  in  the  launch,  with  the 
union-jack  spread  over  the  coffin  as  a  pall,  and  the 
ensicrn  hoisted  half-mast  high  on  the  staff  in  the 
boat's  stern.  Just  as  the  procession  was  on  the 
point  of  shoving  off  from  the  ship's  side,  the  officers 
of  the  Vestale,  who  had  incidentalh^  learned  the 
particulars  of  Austin's  murder,  approached  in  their 
two  gigs,  with  the  French  flag  floating  at  half-mast 
from  the  ensign-staves  in  the  sterns  of  their  boats, 
and  took  up  a  position  in  the  rear.  We  then  shoved 
off ;  the  first  and  second  cutters  taking  the  launch 
in  tow,  and  proceeding  up  the  creek  in  charge  of  old 
Mildmay,  the  master,  the  captain  and  officers  follow- 
ing in  the  two  gigs.  As  soon  as  we  were  clear  of 
the  ship's  side  the  Daphne  began  firing  minute- 
S'uns,  to  which  the  Vestale,  hoisting  her  ensign  half 


POOR   AUSTINS    FATE.  307 

up  to  the  peak,  replied  ;  and  so  we  moved  slowly  up 
the  creek,  the  minute-guns  continuing  as  long  as  the 
boats  remained  within  sight  of  the  ship.  We  pro- 
ceeded for  a  distance  of  about  two  miles,  which 
brought  us  to  a  lovely  spot  selected  by  the  skipper, 
who  had  himself  sought  it  out  during  the  morning, 
and  there  we  landed.  The  body  was  then  passed 
out  of  the  launch  and  shouldered  by  six  petty 
officers  ;  Smellie  and  I  supporting  the  pall  on  one 
side,  whilst  Armitage  and  old  Mildraay  performed  a 
like  duty  on  the  other ;  the  skipper  leading  the  way 
to  the  grave  and  reading  the  burial  service  as  he 
went,  whilst  the  remaining  officers  and  men,  followed 
by  the  contingent  from  the  Vesfale,  formed  in  the 
rear  of  the  coffin.  Arrived  at  the  grave,  the  coffin 
was  placed  on  the  ground,  the  ropes  for  lowering  it 
to  the  bottom  were  adjusted,  and  finally  it  was  gently 
and  reverently  deposited  in  its  last  resting-place,  the 
skipper  meanwhile  reading  impressively  those  solemn 
sentences  beginning  with  "  Man  that  is  born  of  a 
woman  hath  but  a  short  time  to  live,"  etc.  A  slight 
pause  was  made  at  the  conclusion  of  these  passages, 
and  Smellie,  deeply  affected,  stepped  forward  and 
threw  the  first  earth  upon  the  body  of  his  dear 
friend  and  brother  officer,  after  which  the  service 
again  proceeded  and  soon  came  to  an  end.  The 
firing  party  of  marines  next  formed  on  each  side  of 
the  grave  and  rendered  the  last  honors  to  the  dead ; 
the  grave  was  filled  in,  a  wooden  cross  being  tem- 
porarily planted  at  its  head,  and  we  turned  sorrow- 
fully away,  entered  the  boats,  and  with  the  ensigns 


308  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

now  hoisted  to  the  staff-heads,  returned  to  the  ship 
realizing  f^dly,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  the  fact 
that  we  had  lost  forever  a  genial,  brave,  devoted, 
and  sympathetic  friend.  "  In  the  midst  of  life  we 
are  in  death."  Never  did  I  so  thoroughly  realize 
the  absolute  literal  truth  of  this  as  whilst  sitting  in 
the  gig,  silently  struggling  with  my  feelings,  on  our 
return  from  poor  Austin's  funeral.  "We  had  just 
laid  him  in  his  lonely  grave  on  a  foreign  shore,  far 
away  from  all  that  he  held  dearest  and  best  on  earth, 
in  a  spot  consecrated  only  by  the  solemn  service 
which  had  just  been  performed  over  it,  a  spot  which 
could  never  be  watered  by  a  mother's  or  a  sister's 
tears,  where  his  last  resting-place  would  be  at  the 
mercy  of  the  stranger  and  the  savage,  and  where  in 
the  course  of  a  very  few  years  it  would  only  too 
probably  be  obliterated  beyond  all  possibility  of  rec- 
ognition. Yet  twenty-four  short  hours  ago  he  was 
alive  and  well,  rejoicing  in  the  strength  of  his  lusty 
manhood,  and  with,  apparently,  the  promise  of  many 
years  of  life  before  him,  never  suspecting,  as  he  went 
down  over  the  ship's  side,  with  a  cheery  smile  and  a 
reassuring  nod  to  me,  that  he  was  going  thus  gaily 
to  meet  treachery  and  death.  Poor  Austin !  I 
struggled  successfully  with  my  feelings  whilst  the 
eyes  of  others  were  upon  me,  but  I  am  not  ashamed 
to  admit  that  I  wept  long  and  bitterly  that  night 
when  I  reflected  in  privacy  upon  his  untimely  and 
cruel  fate.  ISTor  am  I  ashamed  to  acknowledge  that 
I  then  also  prayed,  more  earnestly  perhaps  than  I 
had  ever  prayed   before,  that  I  might  be  taught  so 


POOR   AUSTIN  S    FATE.  309 

to  number  my  days  that  I  might  incUne  mine  heart 
unto  that  truest  of  all  Avisdora,  the  wisdom  -which 
teaches  us  how  to  live  in  such  a  way  that  death  may 
never  find  us  unprepared. 

On  passing  the  Virgi7iia  it  Avas  seen  that  her  new 
fore-yard  was  slung  and  rigged,  the  sail  bent,  and 
the  other  repairs  completed,  so  that  she  was  once 
more  ready  for  sea.  Smellie  shortly  afterw^ards 
shifted  his  traps  over  into  her,  returning  to  the 
Daphne  to  dine  with  Captain  Yernon  and  to  receive 
his  final  instructions. 

These  given,  Mr.  Armitage  and  I  were  summoned 
to  the  cabin ;  and  upon  our  arrival  there,  the  skipper, 
after  speaking  regretfully  upon  the  loss  which  the 
ship  and  all  hands,  himself  especially,  as  he  said,  had 
sustained  through  the  first  lieutenant's  death,  in- 
formed us  that  Mr.  Smellie  having  received  charge 
of  the  prize  to  deliver  over  to  the  admiral  of  the 
station  with  an  earnest  recommendation  that  she 
should  be  turned  over  to  the  navy  and  given  to 
Smellie  with  the  rank  of  commander,  it  now  became 
necessary  to  appoint  an  acting  first  lieutenant  to  the 
Dajyhne.  A  few  words  of  commendation  to  Armi- 
tage then  followed,  and  he  was  presented  with  an 
acting  order. 

The  skipper  then  turned  to  me. 

"  It  next  becomes  necessary  to  appoint  an  acting 
second  lieutenant,"  said  he,  "  and  after  giving  the 
subject  my  most  serious  attention  I  have  determined, 
Hawkesley,  to  appoint  you.  Nay,  no  thanks,  young 
gentleman ;  you  will  discover  before  many   hours 


310  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

have  passed  over  your  head  that  you  have  very  little 
to  be  thankful  for.  You  will  exchange  your  present 
easy  and  irresponsible  position  for  one  of  very  grave 
and  unceasing  responsibility ;  the  safety  of  the  ship 
and  of  all  hands  will  daily,  during  your  watch,  be  con- 
fided to  your  care,  and  many  other  onerous  duties  will 
devolve  upon  you,  every  one  of  which  will  demand 
your  most  unceasing  attention  and  your  utmost  skill 
in  their  proper  discharge.  Henceforward  you  will 
have  time  to  think  of  nothing  but  duty^  duty  must 
wholly  engage  your  thoughts  by  day,  aye,  and  your 
very  dreams  b}''  night ;  it  is  no  post  of  mere  empty 
honor  which  I  am  about  to  confer  upon  you.  But, 
as  I  once  before  remarked  to  you,  I  have  had  my 
eye  upon  you  ever  since  you  came  on  board  the  ship, 
and,  young  as  you  are,  and  short  as  has  been  your 
term  of  probation,  I  have  sufficient  confidence  in  you 
to  believe  that  you  will  do  credit  to  my  judgment. 
I  presume,  of  course,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  point 
out  to  you  that  this  appointment  can  be  only  tetn- 
'poi'ary ;  the  V'wginia  will  doubtless  bring  back 
Avith  her  from  Sierra  Leone  officers  of  the  admiral's 
appointment  to  fill  the  posts  of  second  and  third 
lieutenant ;  but  if,  as  I  have  no  doubt,  jo\x  discharge 
your  temporar}"  duties  with  any  tiling  like  the  ability 
I  anticipate,  your  promotion,  upon  the  completion 
of  your  time,  will  be  sure  and  rapid." 

So  saying,  the  skipper  extended  his  hand  to  me 
and  gave  mine  a  hearty  shake,  Smellie  and  Armitage 
following  his  example  and  offering  me  their  con- 
gratulations. 


POOR   AUSTINS    FATE.  31I 

It  being,  by  this  time,  rather  late,  Smellie  shortly 
afterwards  rose,  and  bidding  adieu  at  the  gangway 
to  his  old  shipmates,  repaired  on  board  his  new 
command  which  was  under  orders  to  sail  next  morn- 
ing at  daybreak. 

As  for  me,  I  went  off  to  the  midshipmen's  berth, 
which,  through  Keene,  Woods,  and  Williams,  the 
master's  mate,  being  drafted  on  board  the  Virginia, 
was  now  almost  empty,  and  shifted  my  few  traps 
forthwith  into  the  cabin  recently  vacated  by  Smellie, 
scarcely  knowing  meanwhile  whether  I  was  stand- 
ing on  my  head  or  my  heels. 


312  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XYIII. 

THE    CUTTEKS    BESET. 

On  the  following  morning  Captain  Dubosc  and 
Lieutenant  Le  Breton  (we  now  discovered  that  the 
Virginians  people  had  assumed  the  names  of  the 
olficers  of  the  Yestale  in  addition  to  appropriating 
the  name  of  the  ship)  came  on  board  the  Daphne  to 
breakfast,  Armitage  and  old  Mild  may  being  invited 
to  meet  them. 

The  meal  appeared  to  be  a  protracted  one,  for  it 
was  served  punctually  at  eight  o'clock  and  the  par- 
ticipants did  not  appear  on  deck  until  half-past  ten. 
The  secret,  however,  soon  came  out,  for  when  they 
did  at  length  put  in  an  appearance  it  became  per- 
fectly evident,  from  sundry  disjointed  remarks  which 
passed  between  them  that  something  of  importance 
was  on  the  tajns.  The  Frenchmen's  gig  was  awaiting 
them,  and  they  soon  passed  down  over  the  side. 
Captain  Dubosc's  last  words  being : 

"  Well,  then,  7no7i  ami,  it  is  all  settled,  and  our  con- 
tingent shall  be  ready  for  a  start  punctually  at  two 
o'clock.     Ati  revoirr 

I  was  not  left  long  in  ignorance  of  the  precise 
nature  of  the  arrangement  which  had  just  been  con- 
cluded, for  as  soon  as  the  French  gig  was  fairly  away 


THE   CUTTERS   BESET.  313 

from  our  vessel's  side,  Captain  Yernon  beckoned  to 
me  and  said : 

"  Just  step  down  below  with  me,  Hawkesley  ;  I 
want  to  have  a  talk  with  you." 

I  followed  him  down  into  his  cabin,  whereupon 
he  directed  me  to  be  seated,  drew  a  chair  up  to  the 
table  for  himself,  and  laying  his  hand  upon  a  bundle 
of  papers,  said : 

"  These  are  some  of  the  papers  which  I  discovered 
the  night  before  last  on  board  the  Virginia^  and 
as  I  anticipated  would  be  the  case,  they  contain 
several  items  of  exceedingly  important  information. 
One  of  these  items  has  reference  to  the  existence,  on 
an  island  some  forty  miles  up  the  river,  of  an  im- 
mense slave  depot,  as  also  of  a  slave  hulk,  in  both  of 
which,  if  the  information  here  given  happens  to  be 
reliable,  a  large  number  of  slaves  are  at  this  moment 
awaiting  embarkation.  The  papers  seem  also  to 
imply  that  there  is  a  very  snug  anchorage  close  to 
this  island,  with  a  navigable  channel  leading  right 
up  to  it. 

"  Now  I  am  exceedingly  anxious,  for  many  reasons, 
to  test  the  truth  of  this  information,  and  I  have  there- 
fore arranged  with  Captain  Dubosc  to  send  a  joint 
expedition  up  the  river  to  survey  the  alleged  channel, 
to  destroy  the  depot  and  the  hulk,  if  such  are  found 
to  exist,  and  to  free  any  slaves  which  may  happen 
to  be  therein. 

"  From  certain  remarks  to  be  found  here  and  there 
in  these  documents,  I  infer  that  the  depot  and  hulk 
are  in  charge  of  white  men,  l)ut  it  is,  unfortunately, 


314  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

nowhere  stated  how  many  these  white  men  number. 
They  cannot,  however,  muster  very  strongly  there ; 
they  probably  do  not  number  above  a  dozen  al- 
together ;  the  expedition,  therefore,  will  only  be  a 
small  one,  consisting  only  of  our  own  cutter  and  that 
of  the  Yestale.  I  have  determined  to  give  the  com- 
mand of  our  people  to  Mr.  Mildmay,  he  being 
the  most  experienced  officer  at  surveying  now  re- 
maining to  us,  with  you  to  lend  a  hand.  The  French 
boat  will  be  under  the  command  of  M.  St.  Croix,  the 
second  lieutenant  of  the  Yestale  •  and  both  boats, 
though  of  course  under  independent  commands, 
will  act  in  concert.  This  paper,"  placing  one  before 
me,  "  is,  as  you  will  perceive,  a  sketch-chart  of 
the  river,  and  the  two  crosses  in  red  ink  indicate 
the  positions  of  the  depot  and  the  hulk.  It  differs 
somewhat,  you  will  notice,  from  the  admiralty 
chart,"  to  which  he  pointed  as  he  spoke,  "  and  it 
will  really  be  a  great  point  to  ascertain  which,  if 
either,  of  the  two  is  correct.  To  an  individual  un- 
acquainted with  the  river,  the  channel  there  on  the 
larboard  hand  going  up  would  naturally  suggest 
itself  as  the  preferable  one,  being  so  much  wider 
than  the  other,  but  the  soundings  marked  on  this 
sketch  go  to  show  that  the  water  is  much  deeper  in 
the  south  channel.  This  is  one  of  the  points  I  want 
cleared  up.  And  anotlier  is  the  bearings  and  com- 
pass courses  along  the  deepest  water  in  each  reach 
of  the  channel.  I  have  already  explained  all  this 
to  Mildmay  of  course ;  but  I  thought  I  would  also 
explain  it  to  you,  because,  knowing  exactly  what  I 


THE   CUTTERS   BESET.  315 

want,  you  will  be  able  to  render  more  intelligent 
assistance  than  would  be  possible  were  you  working 
in  the  dark.  There  is  only  one  thing  more.  You 
are  a  tolerably  good  hand  with  your  pencil,  I  know  ; 
do  you  think  you  could  make  an  exact  copy  of  this 
sketch-chart  to  take  with  you,  so  as  to  leave  the 
original  behind  with  me  ?  " 

I  assured  the  skipper  that  I  both  could  and  would, 
whereupon  he  furnished  me  with  the  necessary  mate- 
rials and  left  me  in  solitude  to  perform  my  task, 
going  on  deck  himself  to  superintend  the  prepara- 
tions for  our  trip. 

The  sketch-chart  found  among  the  papers  on  board 
the  Virginia  was  only  a  small  affair,  drawn  upon  a 
sheet  of  foolscap  paper  ;  but  it  was  so  carefully  exe- 
cuted that  I  felt  sure  it  must  be  the  work  of  an  expe- 
rienced hand,  and  consequently,  in  all  probability, 
perfectly  accurate.  My  copy,  therefore,  to  be  of 
any  value  at  all,  would  have  to  be,  not  a  free-hand 
happy-go-lucky  sketch,  but  an  absolute  facsimile. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  work  in  it,  and  not  much 
time  wherein  to  do  it ;  so,  after  a  little  thought,  I 
hit  upon  the  plan  of  fastening  the  outspread  original 
with  wafers  to  the  glass  of  one  of  the  stern  windows, 
and  wafering  a  thin  sheet  of  paper  over  it.  The 
strong  daylight  reflected  up  from  the  surface  of  the 
water  through  the  glass  rendered  the  two  sheets  of 
paper  sufficiently  transparent  to  enable  me  to  see 
every  line  and  mark  of  the  original  with  tolerable 
clearness  through  the  sheet  upon  which  I  proposed 
to  make  my  copy ;  and  with  the  aid  of  a  fine  pointed 


3l6  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

pencil  I  soon  had  it  complete,  going  over  it  after- 
wards Avith  pen  and  ink  to  make  it  indelible. 

Mildmay  and  I  lunched  with  the  skipper  that  day, 
and  during  the  course  of  the  meal  we  received  our 
final  instructions,  which  were,  however,  little  more 
than  a  recapitulation  of  those  given  me  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

The  meal  over,  the  cutter's  crew  were  paraded, 
fully  armed,  in  the  waist  of  the  ship  ;  their  ammuni- 
tion was  served  out  to  them,  and  they  were  ordered 
down  into  the  boat,  which  lay  alongside  with  a  12- 
pounder  carronade  in  her  bows,  together  with  the 
necessary  powder  and  shot  for  the  same,  spare 
ammunition  for  the  men's  muskets,  four  days'  pro- 
visions and  water,  and,  in  fact,  every  necessary  for 
the  successful  carrying  out  of  the  undertaking  upon 
which  we  were  bound.  The  skipper  then  shook 
hands  with  Mildmay  and  me,  wishing  us  prosperity 
and  success ;  we  went  down  over  the  side  into  the 
boat,  and  the  little  expedition  started.  Three 
minutes  later  we  were  joined  by  M.  St.  Croix  in  the 
VestaWs  cutter,  when  the  canvas  was  set  in  both 
boats,  the  wind,  though  dead  in  our  teeth  for  the 
passage  up  the  river,  being  free  enough  to  carry  us 
as  far  as  Boolambemba  Point. 

For  the  remainder  of  that  day  and  up  to  about  4 
p.  M.  on  the  day  following,  the  expedition  progressed 
without  incident  of  any  kind  worth  mentioning. 
Our  progress  was  steady  but  slow,  Mildmay's  whole 
energies  being  devoted  to  the  making  of  a  thoroughly 
satisfactory   and   trustworthy  survey  of   the  river 


THE   CUTTERS   BESET.  317 

channel  up  which  we  were  passing ;  and  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  duty  I  was  pleased  to  find  that 
the  studies  I  had  been  diligently  pursuing  under  Mr. 
Smellie's  auspices  enabled  me  to  render  him  substan- 
tial assistance.  St.  Croix,  who  kept  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  our  wake,  was  making  a  perfectly  in- 
dependent survey,  which  he  compared  with  ours  at 
the  conclusion  of  each  day's  work. 

The  first  incident  of  note,  though  we  attached  no 
importance  whatever  to  it  at  the  moment,  occurred 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing our  departure  from  Banana  Creek,  and  it 
consisted  merely  in  the  fact  that  a  large  native 
canoe  passed  us  upward  bound,  without  its  occupants 
bestowing  upon  us  any  notice  whatever.  We  had 
previously  encountered  several  canoes — small  craft 
carrying  from  two  to  half-a-dozen  natives — and  the 
occupants  of  these,  who  seemed  to  be  engaged  for 
the  most  part  in  fishing,  had  invariably  greeted  us 
with  vociferous  ejaculations,  which,  from  the  hearty 
laughter  immediately  foUoAving  them,  were  doubt- 
less choice  examples  of  Congoese  wit.  But  the 
particular  canoe  now  in  question  swept  past  us 
without  a  sound.  She  was  a  large,  well-shaped 
craft,  propelled  by  twenty-four  paddles,  and  she 
dashed  ahead  of  us  as  if  we  had  been  at  anchor,  her 
occupants — and  especially  four  individuals  who  sat 
in  the  stern-sheets,  or  at  all  events,  where  the  stern- 
sheets  ought  to  be,  and  who,  from  their  display  of 
feathers,  bead  necklaces,  and  leopard-skin  robes, 
must    have   been   very   big   wigs    indeed — looking 


3l8  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

straight  ahead  of  them  and  vouchsafing  not  the 
faintest  indication  that  they  were  conscious  of  our 
presence.  This  absurd  assumption  of  dignity  greatly 
tickled  us  at  the  moment,  we  attributing  it  entirely 
to  the  existence  in  the  native  mind  of  a  profound 
conviction  of  their  own  immeasurable  superiority, 
but  subsequent  events  tended  to  give  another  and  a 
more  sinister  aspect  to  the  incident. 

"We  pressed  diligently  on  with  our  work  until  six 
o'clock,  at  which  time  we  found  ourselves  abreast  a 
small  native  village.  Here  Mildmay  proposed  to 
effect  a  landing,  both  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
some  fruit  and  also  to  satisfy  his  very  natural  curi- 
osity to  see  what  a  native  village  was  like.  But  on 
pulling  in  toward  the  bank  the  natives  assembled, 
making  such  unmistakable  warlike  demonstrations 
that  we  deemed  it  advisable  to  abandon  our  purpose. 
We  could,  of  course,  have  easily  dispersed  the 
hostile  blacks  had  we  been  so  disposed  ;  and  St. 
Croix,  who  was  a  particularly  high-spirited,  fiery- 
tempered  young  fellow,  strongly  advocated  our  doing 
so.  But  Captain  Vernon's  orders  to  us  to  avoid  all 
collision  with  the  natives  had  been  most  stringent, 
and  old  Mildmay  was  far  too  experienced  and 
seasoned  a  hand  to  engage  in  an  affray  for  the  mere 
"  fun  "  of  the  thing.  He  therefore  sturdily  refused 
to  aid  or  abet  St,  Croix  in  any  such  unrighteous 
undertaking ;  and  we  passed  the  night  instead  upon 
a  small  islet  whereon  there  was  nothing  more  for- 
midable than  a  few  water-fowl  and  a  flock  of  green 
parrots  to  dispute  our  landing. 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.   •  319 

We  had  not  been  at  work  above  an  hour  or  so  on 
the  following  morning  before  we  had  reason  to  sus- 
pect that  some  at  least  of  the  unusual  number  of 
canoes  around  us  were  suspiciously  watching  our 
movements,  if  not  actually  following  us  up  the  river. 
This,  however,  for  the  time  being  caused  us  little 
or  no  uneasiness,  as  we  felt  assured  that,  should  their 
attentions  become  inconveniently  obtrusive,  a  bullet 
or  two,  or  failing  that,  a  round  shot  from  our  car- 
ronade,  fired  over  their  heads,  would  promptly  send 
them  to  the  right-about.  Later  on  in  the  day,  how- 
ever, I  must  confess  that  I  for  one  began  to  experi- 
ence a  slight  qualm  of  anxiety  as  I  noticed  the 
steadily  increasing  number  of  canoes,  some  of  them 
carrying  as  many  as  ten  or  a  dozen  men,  in  our 
vicinity.  They  were  all  ostensibly  engaged  in  fishing, 
it  is  true ;  but  that  this  was  only  a  pretense,  or  that 
they  w^ere  meeting  w4tli  unusually  bad  luck,  was 
evident  from  the  small  number  of  fish  captured. 
Still,  up  to  noon,  though  the  behavior  of  the 
natives  had  been  growing  more  suspicious  and  un- 
satisfactory, no  actual  hostile  demonstration  had 
been  made ;  and  we  landed  upon  a  small  bare,  sandy 
islet  to  cook  and  despatch  our  dinner. 

During  all  this  time  wc  had,  of  course,  been  care- 
fully checking  the  chart  of  the  river  copied  by  mo 
from  the  one  found  on  board  the  Virginia,  and  com- 
paring it  with  our  own  survey  ;  the  general  result  be- 
ing to  prove  that  it  was  very  fairly  accurate,  quite 
sufficiently  so  at  least  to  serve  as  a  safe  guide  to  any 
vessel  of  light  draught,  say  up  to  ten  feet  or  so, 


320  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

making  for  the  island  on  which  was  the  alleged 
slave  depot.  This  chart  told  us  that  we  had  now 
arrived  within  a  distance  of  some  six  miles  of  the 
island  in  question,  a  statement  verified  to  some  ex- 
tent by  the  fact  that  on  an  island  situate  at  about 
that  distance  from  us  we  could  make  out,  with  the 
aid  of  our  glasses,  an  object  which  might  very  well 
pass  for  a  large  building  of  some  kind.  The  river 
channel  between  us  and  this  island  was  entirely  free 
of  visible  obstructions,  and  we  therefore  hoped  that, 
b}''  a  little  extra  exertion,  we  might  succeed  in  com- 
pleting our  survey  right  up  to  the  island,  and  gain- 
ing possession  of  it  and  the  hulk — thus  achieving  the 
full  object  of  the  expedition — before  nightfall. 

By  the  time  that  we  were  ready  to  make  a  start 
once  more,  however,  the  canoes  had  mustered  in 
such  numbers  that  even  old  Mildmay,  who  had 
hitherto  poo-poohed  my  suggestions  as  to  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  contemplated  attack,  began  to  look 
serious,  and  at  last  actually  went  the  length  of  ac- 
knowledging that  perhaps  there  might  be  mischief 
brewing  after  all.  St.  Croix,  however,  treated  the 
matter  lightly,  roundly  asserting  that  the  extra- 
ordinary gathering  was  due  to  nothing  more  serious 
than  the  native  curiosity  to  behold  the  unwonted 
sight  of  a  white  man,  and  to  watch  our  mysterious 
operations.  There  was  undoubtedly  a  certain  de- 
gree of  probability  about  this  suggestion,  and  most 
unfortunately  we  gave  to  it  a  larger  share  of  cre- 
dence than  the  event  justified,  shoving  off  from  our 
sandbank  and  resuming  our  surveying  operations 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.  32 1 

without  first  adopting  those  precautionary  measures 
which  prudence  obviously  dictated. 

"  At  two  o'clock  p.  M,,  by  which  time  we  had 
passed  over  about  three  of  the  six  miles  which  lay 
between  the  sandbank  and  our  supposed  goal,  the 
French  boat  being  at  the  time  about  half  a  mile 
astern  of  us,  a  loud  shouting  arose  from  one  of  the 
largest  canoes  in  the  flotilla,  her  paddles  were  sud- 
denly elevated  in  the  air,  and  the  whole  fleet  with 
one  accord  rapidly  closed  in  between  us  and  the 
Frenchmen,  completely  cutting  us  off  the  one  from 
the  other. 

"  Hillo !  "  exclaimed  Mildmay,  "  what's  the  mean- 
ing of  this  ?  Just  clap  a  round  shot  into  the  car- 
ronade  there,  you  Tom,  and  pitch  it  well  over  the 
heads  of  those  black  rascals.  Pull  port,  back  star- 
board, and  slue  the  boat  round  with  her  nose  toward 
them.  That's  your  sort  !  Kow,  Tom,  are  you 
ready  there  for'ard  ?  Then  well  elevate  the  muzzle 
and  stand  by  to  fire  when  I  give  the  word.  Hold 
water,  starboard  oars,  and  port  oars  pull  a  stroke ; 
we're  pointing  straight  for  the  Frenchmen  just  now. 
"Well  of  all ;  now  we're  clear,  and  no  chance  of  hit- 
ting our  friends.     Fire  !  " 

The  carronade  rang  out  its  report  from  the  bows 
of  the  boat,  and  the  shot  went  screaming  away  far 
over  the  heads  of  those  in  the  canoes,  the  French- 
men firing  in  like  manner  at  almost  the  same  mo- 
ment. A  yell  of  dismay  immediately  arose  from 
the  canoes,  and  half  a  dozen  of  those  nearest  us 
dashed  their  paddles  into  the  water  and  began  pad- 
21 


322  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

dling  precipitately  away.  Their  panic,  however, 
was  only  momentary ;  they  appeared  to  have  seen 
and  heard  artillery  before,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw 
that  no  damage  had  been  done,  they  arrested  their 
flight,  and  a  contingent  of  canoes,  numbering  quite 
a  hundred,  began  cautiously  to  advance  toward  us, 
spreading  out  on  our  right  and  left  in  a  manner 
which  showed  that  they  meditated  an  attempt  to 
surround  us. 

"  Give  'em  another  pill,  Tom,  and  slap  it  right 
into  the  thick  of  'em  this  time  ;  we  mustn't  let  'em 
surround  us  at  no  price,"  exclaimed  old  Mildmay. 
"  Turn  round  on  your  thwarts,  lads,  and  pull  the 
boat  gently  up  stream,  starn  first,  so's  to  keep  our 
bull-dog  for'ard  there  facing  'em.  Now,  as  soon  as 
you're  ready  there  with  the  gun  let  'em  have 
it." 

Once  again  the  carronade  spoke  out,  and  this 
time  its  voice  conveyed  a  death  message  to  some  of 
the  belligerent  blacks,  the  shot  striking  one  of  the 
canoes  fair  in  the  stem,  knocking  her  into  match- 
wood, and  killing  or  maiming  several  of  her  occu- 
pants. We  naturally  expected  that  this  severe 
lesson  would  have  the  effect  of  sending  our  trouble- 
some neighbors  to  the  right-about  en  masse,  but  to 
our  surprise  and  discomfiture  this  was  by  no  means 
the  case  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  appeared  to  have  thor- 
oughly aroused  their  most  savage  instincts,  and 
with  a  loud  shout  they  dashed  their  paddles  into  the 
water,  and  advanced  menacingly  toward  us. 

"  Load  your  muskets,  lads  !  "  exclaimed  Mildmay, 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.  323 

as,  with  eyes  gleaming  and  nostrils  dilated,  the  old 
war-horse  snuffed  the  approaching  battle ;  "  load 
your  muskets,  and  then  take  to  your  oars  again  and 
back  her  steadily  up  stream.  Sharp's  the  word  and 
quick's  the  action ;  if  those  rascals  '  outflank '  us — as 
the  sodgers  call  it — we  may  say  '  good-by '  to  old 
England.  Mr.  Hawkesley,  d'ye  think  you  can  pitch 
a  bullet  into  that  long  chap  that's  creeping  up  there 
on  our  larboard  beam  ?  I'm  a  bout  to  try  my  hand 
and  see  if  I  can't  stop  the  gallop  of  this  fellow  who's 
in  such  a  tremendous  hurry  away  here  to  the  nor'ard 
of  us.  Take  good  aim,  now  ;  we  haven't  a  single 
bullet  that  we  can  afford  to  throw  away.  Ah ! 
that's  loell  done,"  as  I  bowled  over  the  individual 
who  was  handling  the  steering  paddle  in  the  canoe 
indicated  to  me.  "  Now  let's  see  what  an  old  man 
can  do."  He  raised  his  piece  to  his  shoulder,  took  a 
long  steady  aim,  and  fired.  A  white  spot  instantly 
appeared  on  the  side  of  the  canoe ;  and  one  of 
its  occupants  sprang  convulsively  to  his  feet  and  fell 
headlong  into  the  river,  nearly  capsizing  the  frail 
craft  as  he  did  so. 

This  certainly  checked  the  impetuosity  of  the  two 
particular  canoes,  the  occupants  of  which  had  suffered 
from  our  fire  ;  but  the  others  only  pressed  forward 
with  increased  eagerness. 

"  Hang  it !  "  exclaimed  the  master  pettishly,  "  I 
don't  want  to  do  it,  but  I  shall  have  to  give  'em  a 
dose  of  grape  yet.  "Why  won't  the  stupid  donkeys 
take  a  hint  ?  And  why,  in  the  name  of  fortune, 
should  they  want  to  interfere  with  us  at  all  ?     Try 


324  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

'em  with  grape  this  time,  Tom ;  let's  see  Avhat  they 
think  of  '  the  fruit  of  the  vine.'  " 

Meanwhile  the  French  boat  had  also  become  ac- 
tively engaged,  the  report  of  her  carronade  ringing 
out  much  more  frequently  than  our  own,  whilst  rat- 
tling volleys  of  musketry  breezed  up  from  her  at 
brief  intervals ;  but  from  the  steadily  decreasing 
sharpness  of  the  reports  it  soon  became  evident, 
somewhat,  I  must  confess,  to  our  dismay,  that  she 
was  retiring.  It  might,  of  course,  be  merely  a  stra- 
tegic movement  on  St.  Croix's  part ;  but  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  happened  to  be  situated  like  ourselves, 
with  all  his  work  cut  out  to  defend  himself,  and  a 
way  open  to  him  fZo?i'?i  stream  only,  as  we  had  a  clear 
road  before  us  up  stream  only,  then  indeed  matters 
were  beginning  to  look  extremely  serious  for  us.  So 
far  as  he  was  concerned,  if  he  could  only  avoid  be- 
ing surrounded  he  was  comparatively  safe  ;  the  way 
would  be  open  for  his  retreat,  and  a  fine  breeze  hap- 
pening to  be  blowing  down  the  river,  he  could,  with 
the  aid  of  his  sails,  easily  outpace  the  canoes.  But 
with  us  the  matter  was  very  different ;  our  retreat 
was  cut  off,  and  unless  we  could  beat  off  the  canoes 
the  only  course  open  to  us  seemed  to  be  that  of  tak- 
ing to  dry  land,  intrenching  ourselves  as  best  we 
might,  and  patiently  waiting  until  assistance  should 
arrive. 

Meanwhile,  in  accordance  with  Mildmay's  instruc- 
tions, our  carronade  had  been  loaded  with  grape,  and 
Tom,  taking  steady  aim,  applied  the  match  to  his 
piece.     A  flash,  a  roar,  a  volume  of  smoke,  and  away 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.  325 

Avent  tlie  grape  lashing  up  the  surface  of  the  water  fair 
in  line  with  a  thick  cluster  of  canoes,  through  which 
the  iron  shower  next  moment  tore  with  disastrous 
effect.  One  canoe  was  literally  rent  to  pieces,  every 
one  of  its  occupants,  so  far  as  Ave  could  see,  being 
killed ;  two  other  canoes,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
first,  Avere  so  seriously  damaged  that  they  immedi- 
ately swamped,  leaAnng  their  occupants  squattering 
in  the  water  like  so  many  lame  ducks ;  and  three  or 
four  others  AA^ere  hit,  Avith  serious  casualties  to  their 
crews.  This  effectually  checked  the  advance  of  the 
blacks  for  a  few  minutes,  during  Avhich  Ave  made 
good  use  of  our  oars  in  urging  the  boat,  still  stern 
foremost,  in  the  direction  of  the  island  to  which  we 
Avere  bound,  and  upon  which  we  AA'^ere  noAV  able  to 
distinctly  make  out  the  shape  of  a  huge  Avooden 
barrack-like  structure. 

As  Ave  passed  on  toward  the  island  we  became 
cognizant  of  the  fact  that  its  occupants  were  in  a 
great  state  of  confusion,  and  a  fcAV  minutes  later  we 
saAv  a  long  procession  of  blacks,  who,  from  their 
constrained  movements,  were  apparently  manacled, 
emerge  from  the  barrack  and  move  off  toward  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island.  We  were  enabled  Avith 
the  aid  of  our  glasses,  to  detect  on  the  island  the 
presence  of  some  ten  or  a  dozen  white  men,  and  these 
individuals,  carrying  each  a  musket  in  one  hand  and 
a  Avhip  in  the  other,  seemed  to  be  very  freely  using 
the  latter  to  expedite  the  movements  of  the  unhappy 
blacks. 

We  were,  however,  allowed  but  scanty  time  in 


326  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Avhich  to  take  note  of  these  matters,  for  the  native 
canoes  soon  began  to  press  forward  upon  us  once 
more,  evidently  with  the  fixed  determination  to  sur- 
round us  if  possible,  and  thus  prevent  our  approach 
to  the  island.  We  knew  that  if  this  object  were 
once  accomplished  our  doom  was  certain,  for  in  such 
a  case,  fight  as  desperately  as  we  might,  we  must 
soon  be  overpowered  by  sheer  force  of  numbers,  and 
it  consequently  soon  became,  so  far  as  we  were  con- 
cerned, an  absolute  race  for  life. 

On  swept  the  boat,  our  men  pulling  her  through 
the  water,  though  still  stern  foremost,  at  a  pace  such 
as  she  had  rarely  traveled  before,  and  on  crowded  the 
canoes  after  us,  spread  out  athwart  the  stream  in 
the  form  of  a  crescent.  Luckily  for  us,  the  channel 
at  this  point  was  not  very  wide,  and  by  keeping  in 
the  middle  of  it  we  were  able  to  throw  a  musket- 
shot  clear  across  to  either  side,  otherwise  we  should 
soon  have  found  ourselves  in  a  parlous  case.  The 
greater  number  of  the  canoes  obstinately  maintained 
a  position  in  mid-stream  ahead  of  us,  thus  presenting 
an  insuperable  barrier  to  our  retreat  down  stream, 
whilst  those  on  the  outer  wings  to  port  and  star- 
board of  us  hugged  the  bank  of  the  stream,  two  or 
three  of  the  larger  craft  making  a  big  spurt  ahead 
of  the  others  now  and  then  in  an  endeavor  to  out- 
flank us,  which  endeavor,  however,  a  well-directed 
volley  of  musketry  always  sufficed  to  check  for  the 
time  being. 

At  length  we  reached  a  point  where  the  stream 
widened  out  considerably,  enabling  the  canoes  on 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.  327 

each  side  to  spread  out  sufficiently  far  to  be  beyond 
niusket-shot,  and  we  saw  tliat  upon  the  question 
whether  we  or  the  canoes  passed  this  point  first, 
hinged  our  fate.  The  natives,  though  evidently  en- 
tertaining a  wholesome  dread  of  our  carronade,  were 
by  no  means  so  dismayed  by  the  execution  it  wrought 
among  them  as  we  had  hoped  they  would  be,  and 
indeed  exhibited  a  decidedly  growing  disposition  to 
close  upon  us  in  spite  of  our  fire ;  in  fact,  our  posi- 
tion was  at  every  moment  growing  more  critical. 

Very  fortunately  for  us  we  happened  to  have  a 
a  few  rounds  of  canister  in  the  boat,  and  Mildmay 
now  resolved  to  try  the  effect  of  these  upon  the  per- 
tinacious natives.  A  charge  of  grape  with  one  of 
canister  on  the  top  of  it,  was  accordingly  rammed 
home  and  sent  flying  into  the  thickest  of  the  crowd 
of  canoes  immediately  ahead  of  us,  immediately  suc- 
ceeded by  a  like  dose  to  the  right  and  left  wings  of 
the  flotilla.  The  canoes  were  just  at  about  the  right 
distance  to  give  these  murderous  discharges  their 
utmost  possible  effect,  and  the  carnage  among  the 
thickly-crowded  craft  was  simply  indescribable.  The 
effect  was  not  only  to  check  their  advance  effectually, 
but  to  actually  put  them  to  flight,  and  whilst  a  simi- 
lar charge  was  again  rammed  home  by  those  in  charge 
of  the  gun  the  rest  of  the  men  slued  the  boat  round 
on  her  center,  and  w' ith  a  loud  cheer  gave  w^ay  at 
top  speed  for  the  island. 

We  were  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  low,  shingly 
beach  when,  to  our  astonishment,  the  roar  of  artillery 
from  the  island  greeted  our  ears,  and  at  the  same 


328  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

instant  half  a  dozen  round  shot  came  flying  about 
our  ears.  Fortunately  no  damage  was  done  beyond 
the  smashing  of  a  couple  of  oars  and  the  incontinent 
precipitation  backwards  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
of  the  pullers  thereof,  amidst  the  uproarious  laughter 
of  all  hands,  and  before  these  unfortunates  had 
fairly  picked  themselves  up,  the  cutter  was  sent  surg- 
ing half  her  length  high  and  dry  up  on  the  beach, 
the  carronade  belched  forth  its  contents,  and  out  we 
jumped,  master  and  man,  and  charged  up  to  the  sod 
battery  which  had  fired  upon  us.  We  were  greeted 
with  a  volley  of  musketry,  which,  however,  never 
stopped  us  in  our  rush  a  single  instant,  and  as  we 
clambered  in  at  one  side  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  rascally  Spaniards  go  flying  out  at  the 
other,  whence  they  made  short  miles  of  it  to  a  boat 
which  lay  awaiting  them  on  the  beach  at  the  opposite 
side  of  the  island,  some  two  or  three  hundred  yards 
awa}^  We  sent  a  few  ineffectual  flying  shots  after 
them,  but  attempted  no  pursuit,  as  we  now  found 
ourselves  to  some  extent  masters  of  the  situation ; 
in  so  far,  that  is  to  say,  that  we  found  the  battery 
admirably  adapted  as  a  place  wherein  to  make  a 
stand  until  such  time  as  we  could  see  our  way  clear 
to  once  more  take  offensive  measures.  As  for  the 
Spaniards,  they  made  good  their  retreat  to  a  large 
hulk  which  lay  securely  moored  at  a  distance  of 
some  twenty  yards  from  the  steeply  sloping  eastern 
shore  of  the  island,  and  which — floating  high  out  of 
the  water  as  she  did,  with  channel-plates  removed 
and  no  gear  whatever  about  her  sides  to  aid  us  in 


THE    CUTTERS    BESET.  329 

boarding,  should  we  make  the  attempt — would,  1 
foresaw,  prove  rather  a  hard  nut  for  us  to  crack. 

Our  footing  thus  made  good  upon  the  island  and 
in  the  battery,  we  had  a  moment  or  two  in  which  to 
look  about  us,  and  the  first  discovery  made  was  that 
poor  old  Mildmay,  the  master,  had  been  wounded, 
and  w^as  lying  helpless,  face  downwards  on  the  sward 
outside  the  batter3^  The  next  was,  that  the  natives 
had  recovered  from  their  panic  and  were  actually 
once  more  advancing  against  us,  sjjreading  out  on 
all  sides  so  as  to  completely  encircle  the  island. 

The  first  object  demanding  our  attention  was,  of 
course,  the  master.  Directing  the  man  Tom,  our 
chief  artilleryman,  to  look  into  the  state  of  the  guns 
belonging  to  the  battery,  and  to  load  them  afresh, 
I  called  a  couple  of  men  and  took  them  with  me  to 
bring  in  the  master.  The  poor  old  fellow  was  lying 
upon  the  grass  face  downw^^rds,  and  when  we  gently 
raised  him  it  became  apparent  that  he  had  been 
bleeding  rather  profusely  at  the  mouth.  He  Avas 
senseless  and  ghastly  pale,  and  for  the  moment  I 
feared  he  was  dead.  A  low  moan,  however,  as  the 
men  began,  to  move  with  him,  gave  us  the  assurance 
that  life  was  not  quite  extinct,  and  as  gently  as  we 
could  we  lifted  him  over  the  low  earth  parapet,  and 
laid  him  down  under  its  shelter  in  comparative 
safety. 

The  command  of  the  party  now  devolved  upon 
me,  and  a  very  serious  responsibility  under  the 
circumstances  I  found  it.  Here  we  were  cooped  up 
in  a  small  sod  battery,  wholly  ineffectual  to  resist  a 


330  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

determined  assault ;  with  a  perfect  cloud  of  hostile 
natives  hovering  about  us  apparently  determined  to 
be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  our  absolute  exter- 
mination ;  with  a  dozen  vindictive  Spaniards  on 
board  the  hulk  close  at  hand,  doubtless  as  anxious 
as  the  natives  to  sweep  us  from  the  face  of  the 
earth;  the  French  boat  having  vanished  from  the 
scene ;  and — though  there  was  drinkable  water  in 
abundance  in  the  river  so  long  as  we  might  be  able 
to  get  at  it — with  only  one  day^s  provisions  left. 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       33 1 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE. 

"  "Well,  Tom,"  said  I,  "  what  about  the  guns  ? — 
are  they  loaded  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  they  is,"  answered  Tom  ;  "  and  a  most 
fort'nate  circumstance  it  were  that  you  ordered  them 
guns  to  be  loaded  when  you  did,  otherwise  we  should 
have  been  sent  sky-high  by  this  time." 

"  Ah,  indeed,  how  is  that?  " 

"  Why,  you  see,  sir,  when  I  was  ordered  to  load 
the  guns  I  nat'rally  looks  round  for  the  ammunition 
for  to  do  it  with,  and  though  this  is  the  first  time  as 
I've  ever  found  myself  aboard  a  reg'lar  genewine 
land  battery,  it  didn't  take  me  long  for  to  make  up 
my  mind  that  if  there  was  any  ammunition  any- 
where's  aboard  the  thing,  it  must  be  in  one  of  them 
there  corner  lockers.  So  I  goes  away  and  tries  to 
open  the  door,  which  in  course  I  finds  locked.  It 
didn't  take  N'ed  and  me  mor'n  a  jiffy  hows'ever,  to 
prise  off  the  lock ;  and  when  I  looked  in,  there  sure 
enough  was  the  powder — a  goodish  quantity — all 
made  up  into  cartridges,  and  there,  too,  I  sees  the 
black  stump  of  a  fuse  with  a  red  spark  on  the  end 
fizzing  and  smoking  away — a  good  un.     I  knowed 


332  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

what  that  meant  in  a  second,  Mr,  Hawkesley  ;  so  1 
whips  out  my  knife,  sings  out  to  Ned  to  prise  open 
the  other  two  doors,  and  cuts  off  the  live  end  of  the 
fuse  at  once,  and  just  in  time.  There  warn't  more 
nor  an  inch  of  it  left.  And  when  we  got  the  other 
two  doors  open  it  were  just  the  same,  sir — half  a 
minute  more'd  ha'  done  for  the  lot  of  us,  sir." 

"  But  you  have  taken  care  to  see  that  the  maga- 
zines are  now  all  right  ? — that  there  are  no  more  live 
fuses  in  them  ?  "  I  exclaimed  in  considerable  alarm. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ;  never  fear  for  me,"  answered  Tom 
with  a  quiet  grin.  "  They  are  safe  enough  now,  sir  ; 
we  gave  'em  a  good  overhaul  before  doing  anything 
else,  sir." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom,"  I  replied ;  "  you  have  ren- 
dered a  most  important  service,  which,  if  I  live  to 
get  out  of  this  scrape,  I  will  not  fail  to  report  to 
Captain  Vernon.  But  I  should  like  to  take  a  squint 
into  these  magazines  m^'self." 

"  Certingly,  sir,  by  all  means,"  returned  Tom ; 
and  leading  the  way  to  the  magazines  he  pointed 
out  the  manner  in  which  the  fuses  had  been  placed, 
and  graphically  redescribed  the  manner  in  which  a 
terrible  catastrophe  had  been  averted. 

"We  had,  indeed  had  a  frightfully  narrow  escape 
from  destruction ;  for  the  magazines,  of  which  there 
were  three,  one  in  each  angle  of  the  triangular-shaped 
battery,  contained  about  one  hundred  cartridges  each 
— quite  sufficient  to  have  completely  destroyed  the 
battery  and  all  in  it. 

Having  satisfied  myself  that  all  was  safe  here,  I 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       333 

at  once  turned  my  attention  to  the  next  most  press- 
ing business  of  the  moment,  which  was  to  secure 
the  muskets,  ammunition,  provisions,  and  water  in 
the  cutter,  and  to  make  the  craft  herself  as  safe  as 
possible.  This  was  likely  to  prove  a  somewhat  hazard- 
ous task,  as  the  canoes  were  now  close  to  the  beach 
and  pressing  rapidly  in  on  all  sides.  I  felt  greatly 
averse  to  further  slaughter  ;  but  in  this  case  I  scarce- 
ly saw  how  it  was  to  be  averted,  the  natives  being 
so  pertinacious  in  their  attacks.  It  was  quite  evident 
that  we  must  either  kill  or  be  killed.  I  therefore 
most  reluctantly  gave  the  order  for  the  discharge  of 
the  six  nine-pounders  which  the  battery  mounted 
right  into  the  thickest  of  the  crowd^ — the  men  to 
immediately  afterwards  rush  for  the  boat,  secure 
their  muskets  and  ammunition,  and  at  once  return 
to  the  battery.  This  was  done ;  and  without  paus- 
ing an  instant  to  note  the  effect  away  w^e  all  went 
down  to  the  boat,  seized  as  much  as  we  could  con- 
veniently carry,  and  immediately  scampered  back 
again.  The  whole  operation  did  not  occupy  more 
than  a  couple  of  minutes ;  and  I  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  all  hands  scramble  back  into  the  battery 
before  the  natives  had  recovered  from  the  check  of 
our  last  discharge. 

So  far,  so  good ;  but  a  great  many  things  still  re- 
mained in  the  boat,  especially  the  provisions  and 
water,  which  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  we 
should  secure  ;  so  I  called  for  volunteers  to  accom- 
pany me  on  a  second  trip  to  the  cutter.  All  hands 
proving  equally  willing  to  go,  I  picked  half-a-dozen, 


334  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

leaving  the  remainder  in  the  battery  to  cover  us 
with  their  muskets. 

Leaping  the  low  sod  parapet  of  the  battery  we 
once  more  made  a  dash  for  the  boat ;  and  the  na- 
tives, catching  sight  of  us,  instantly  raised  a  terrific 
yell  and  came  paddling  toward  us  at  top  speed. 

"  Out  with  your  cutlasses,  men !  "  I  exclaimed ; 
"  we  shall  have  to  fight  our  way  back  this  time,  I 
believe.  Now  each  man  seize  as  much  as  he  can 
carry  in  one  hand,  and  keep  close  together.  Now 
are  you  all  ready?  Then  march.  Ah!  capital!" 
as  the  lads  in  the  battery  bowled  over  three  or  four 
blacks  who  had  landed  and  were  rushing  down  upon 
us.     "  Now  run  f 07'  it  !  " 

Away  we  went,  helter-skelter,  and  once  more  got 
safely  within  the  compass  of  our  sheltering  walls, 
though  not  until  I — who,  of  course,  had  to  be  last 
in  seeking  cover — had  been  overtaken  and  surrounded 
by  some  half-a-dozen  furious  blacks,  two  of  whom  I 
succeeded  in  disabling  with  my  sword,  whilst  the 
remaining  four  were  promptly  placed  hors-de-eombat 
by  the  muskets  of  those  who  were  covering  our  re- 
treat. 

Taking  fresh  courage,  perhaps,  at  our  limited 
number,  and  possibly  also  feeling  more  at  home  in 
a  fight  on  dry  land  than  when  in  their  canoes,  the 
natives  now  closed  in  upon  us  on  all  sides,  effecting 
a  landing  on  the  island  and  pressing  forward,  with 
loud  cries  and  much  brandishing  of  spears,  to  attack 
the  battery.  This  battery,  it  may  be  well  to  ex- 
plain, was  a  small,  equilateral,  triangular  affair  built 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPER,A.TE.       335 

of  sods,  and  measuring  about  thirty-five  feet  on  each 
of  its  sides.  It  mounted  six  nine-pounder  brass  guns, 
t\vo  to  each  side  ;  and  its  walls  rose  to  a  height  of 
about  seven  feet  above  the  ground  outside,  a  ledge 
about  three  feet  wide  on  the  inside  being  raised 
some  three  feet  all  round  the  interior  of  the  walls, 
thus  enabling  those  on  the  inside  to  fire  over  the 
low  parapet.  The  guns  were  mounted  on  ordinary 
ship  carriages  and  were  unprovided  with  tackles, 
being  placed  upon  wooden  platforms  slightly  slop- 
ing forward,  so  that  when  loaded  they  could  be 
easily  run  out  by  hand,  the  recoil  of  the  discharge 
sending  them  back  up  the  slight  slope  into  loading 
position.  The  three  angles  of  the  battery  were,  as 
has  already  been  intimated,  occupied  by  the  maga- 
zines. 

The  natives  advanced  boldly  to  the  attack,  and 
for  the  moment  I  must  confess  that  I  felt  almost 
dismayed  as  I  looked  around  me  and  got  a  clear  idea 
of  their  overwhelming  numbers.  However,  there 
was  no  escape — we  were  completely  hemmed  in  on 
every  side,  and  if  we  were  to  die,  I  thought  we 
might  as  well  die  fighting ;  so,  waiting  until  they 
were  within  a  few  yards  only  of  the  walls,  I  gave 
the  order  to  fire,  and  the  report  of  the  six  nine- 
pounders  rang  sharply  out  upon  the  evening  air. 
Each  man  then  seized  his  loaded  musket,  saw  that 
his  naked  cutlass  was  ready  to  his  hand,  and  waited 
breathlessly  for  the  inevitable  rush. 

The  round  shot  plowed  six  well-defined  lanes 
through  the  approaching  phalanx ;   but   our  perse- 


336  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

vering  foes  had  apparently  become  accustomed  to  the 
effects  of  artillery  fire  by  this  time,  seeming  to  re- 
gard it  as  a  disagreeable  concomitant  to  the  struggle 
which  must  be  faced,  but  which,  after  all,  was  not 
so  very  formidable.  They  had  already  acquired  the 
knowledge  that  the  guns,  once  fired,  were  perfectly 
harmless  until  they  could  be  reloaded,  and  that  the 
operation  of  reloading  required  a  certain  amount  of 
time.  The  moment,  therefore,  that  they  received 
our  fire  they  charged  down  upon  the  battery,  evi- 
dently feeling  that  the  worst  was  over  and  that  it 
now  amounted  to  no  more  than  an  ordinary  hand-to- 
hand  fight. 

"  Here  they  come,  lads,  with  a  vengeance  !  "  I  ex- 
claimed. "  Take  your  muskets  and  aim  loio — make 
every  bullet  do  double  or  treble  duty  if  you  can. 
Keep  cool,  and  be  careful  not  to  throw  a  single  shot 
away." 

This  was  excellent  advice  to  give,  especially  as 
the  giver  thereof  needed  it  perhaps  more  than  any 
of  those  around  him  ;  but  it  was  spoken  with  a  calm 
and  steady  voice,  and  the  lads  responded  to  it  with 
a  hearty  and  inspiring  cheer.  They  leveled  their 
muskets  carefully  and  steadily  over  the  top  of  the 
sod  parapet,  selecting  a  particular  mark  and  firing 
only  when  they  felt  sure  of  their  aim,  though  at  the 
moment  a  perfect  cloud  of  spears  came  flying  into 
the  battery.  The  next  instant  our  foes  were  upon 
us,  and  then  commenced  a  furious,  breathless  des- 
perate hand-to-hand  fight  which  lasted  fully  ten 
minutes — the   blacks  leaping  upward    or   assisting 


THE   SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       337 

each  other  in  their  efforts  to  surmount  the  parapet, 
and  we  cutting  and  slashing  right  and  left  without 
a  moment's  breathing  space  in  an  equally  determined 
effort  to  keep  them  out. 

During  the  very  thick  of  the  light  light  thin  jets 
of  smoke  were  seen  to  issue  from  the  joints  and 
crevices  in  the  wooden  walls  of  the  huge  barrack- 
like structure  to  windward  of  us,  the  jets,  rapidly 
growing  in  numbers  and  volume  and  being  speedily 
succeeded  by  thin,  arrowy  tongues  of  flame  which 
shot  into  view  for  a  moment,  disappeared,  and  then 
appeared  again,  darting  along  the  surface  of  the 
wood  and  uniting  with  others,  until  the  entire  build- 
ing became  completely  enveloped  in  the  flames, 
which  no  doubt  the  Spaniards  had  kindled  on  their 
retreat,  in  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  as 
it  were,  and  in  the  event  of  their  little  scheme  for 
the  destruction  of  the  battery  miscarrying,  to  de- 
prive us  of  what  would  have  afforded  us  an  excel- 
lent retreat  in  which  to  have  withstood  a  sieffe. 

The  smoke,  thick,  pungent,  and  suffocating,  from 
the  tar  and  pitch  with  which  the  roof  and  sides  of  the 
building  had  been  from  time  to  time  liberally  coated, 
drifted  down  directly  upon  us  in  such  dense  volumes 
that  it  was  difficult  to  see  an  arm's-length  ahead, 
making  the  act  of  breathing  next  to  an  impossibility, 
and  causing  our  eyes  to  stream  with  Avater,  whilst 
the  heat  soon  became  almost  insupportable.  Our 
enemies,  however,  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  slight- 
est degree  incommoded  either  by  the  heat  or  the 
smoke,  but  perceiving  how  greatly  it  embarrassed  us, 

22 


338  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

pressed  forward  more  eagerly  than  ever  to  the  at- 
tack. We,  however,  were  fighting  for  our  lives,  and 
it  is  astonishing  how  much  men  can  do  under  such 
circumstances.  We  actually  succeeded  in  keeping 
the  foe  outside  our  three  walls,  and  finally,  after  a 
prolonged  effort  which  inspired  us  with  a  most  pro- 
found sense  of  their  individual  intrepidity,  they 
retired,  carrying  off  their  dead  and  wounded  with 
them.  They  made  a  most  daring  attempt  to  carry 
off  the  cutter  also  with  them  in  their  retreat,  but 
fortunately  she  was  secured  by  a  chain  attached  to 
the  anchor,  the  latter  being  firmly  embedded  in  the 
soil  among  the  long  grass ;  and  the  idea  of  pulling 
it  up  not  seeming  to  present  itself  to  any  of  them, 
they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  attempt,  owing 
to  the  galling  musketry  fire  which  we  maintained 
upon  them. 

Exhausted,  breathless,  with  our  lips  black  with 
powder  from  the  bitten  ends  of  the  cartridges,  our 
skins  begrimed  with  smoke,  and  with  the  perspira- 
tion streaming  down  our  bodies,  we  noAV  had  a  mo- 
ment's breathing-space  to  look  about  us.  The 
ground  inside  the  battery  literally  hristled  with  the 
spears  which  had  been  launched  at  us,  but,  marvel- 
ous to  relate,  only  three  of  our  number  had  been 
hurt  in  the  recent  scuffle,  and  that  but  very  slightly. 
The  injuries,  such  as  they  were,  were  promptly  at- 
tended to,  I  at  the  same  time  doing  what  I  could  for 
poor  old  Mildmay  ;  the  guns  and  muskets  were  re- 
loaded, and  then,  placing  a  lookout  at  each  angle  of 
the  battery,  we  sank  down  upon  the  ground  and 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       33Q 

snatched  such  a  hasty  meal  as  was  possible  under 
the  circumstances. 

I  embraced  the  opportunity  afforded  by  this  in- 
terval of  tranquillity  to  point  out  to  my  small  com- 
mand the  necessity  for  placing  them  upon  a  short 
allowance  of  food.  I  reminded  them  that,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  meal  which  we  were  then  discuss- 
ing, only  one  clear  day's  rations  would  remain  to 
us,  and  that,  though  the  French  boat  had  doubtless 
made  good  her  escape  down  the  river — and,  in  that 
case,  would  probably  reach  the  creek  early  enough 
that  same  evening  to  make  Captain  Yernon  ac- 
quainted Avith  our  critical  situation — we  could  scarce- 
ly reckon  upon  the  appearance  of  a  relief  expedi- 
tion under  twenty-four  hours  from  the  time  of 
speaking.  I  added  that,  further,  it  would  be  only 
wise  to  allow  another  twenty-four  hours  for  possible 
unforeseen  delays,  rendering  it  not  improbable  that 
we  should  have  to  pass  forty-eight  hours  in  our 
present  position,  and  that  I  had  therefore  decided, 
for  these  prudential  reasons,  that  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  place  the  party  for  that  period  on  half-rations. 
The  men  accepted  this  decision  of  mine  with  the  ut- 
most readiness,  and,  in  fact,  seemed  agreeably  sur- 
prised to  find  that  I  considered  it  likely  we  should 
be  rescued  in  so  short  a  time. 

By  the  time  that  we  had  concluded  our  hasty  meal 
the  barrack — which  after  all,  and  notwithstanding 
its  size,  was  a  mere  wooden  shell  of  a  place — had  be- 
come a  shapeless  heap  of  smoldering  ruins,  and  we 
were  consequently  to  a  great  extent  relieved  of  the 


340  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

annoyance  from  the  heat  and  smoke.  Now  that  the 
place  was  actually  destroyed  I  was  glad  rather  than 
otherwise,  for,  standing  as  it  did  so  close  to  the 
battery,  it  would,  had  it  remained  in  existence,  have 
afforded  splendid  "  cover  "  for  the  enemy,  behind 
which  the}'"  would  have  been  enabled  to  steal  close 
up  to  us  unobserved,  necessitating  a  most  unremit- 
ting watch,  in  spite  of  which  a  sudden  unexpected 
rush  might  have  put  them  in  possession  of  the  bat- 
tery. Now,  however,  nothing  in  the  nature  of  a 
surprise  could  well  occur,  for  by  the  destruction  of 
the  barrack  we  were  enabled  to  obtain  an  uninter- 
rupted view  from  the  battery  all  over  the  diminutive 
islet  upon  which  it  stood. 

Half  an  hour  after  the  conclusion  of  our  meal  the 
wind  dropped  away  to  a  flat  calm,  the  sun  went 
down  behind  the  low  range  of  hills  which  stretched 
away  to  the  westward  of  us,  the  landscape  assumed 
a  tint  of  rapidly  deepening,  all-pervading  gray,  the 
mist- wreaths  rose  from  the  bosom  of  the  whirling 
river  and  stealthily  gathered  about  the  island  like  a 
beleaguering  army  of  phantoms,  and  the  solemn 
hush  of  night  was  broken  only  by  the  loud  chirr  of 
the  insects  and  the  lapping  ripple  of  the  rushing 
stream. 

Thicker  and  thicker  gathered  the  mist  about  us 
until  at  last  it  became  impossible  to  see  across  from 
one  side  of  the  battery  to  the  other,  and  then  ensued 
an  anxious  time  indeed  for  all  of  us,  and  especially 
so  for  me,  upon  whom  rested  the  responsibility  of 
directing  what  steps  should  be  taken  for  the  safety 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       341 

and  preservation  of  the  little  force  under  me.  "VYould 
the  natives  attempt  another  attack  that  night  under 
cover  of  the  fog  ?  I  thought  it  highly  probable  that 
they  would,  seeing  how  important  an  advantage  it 
would  be  to  them  to  have  the  power  of  arranging 
their  forces  and  creeping  up  to  the  very  walls  of  the 
battery  undetected.  The  idea  indeed  occurred  to 
me,  that  under  cover  of  that  same  fog,  it  might  be 
possible  for  us  to  take  once  more  to  the  cutter,  and, 
letting  her  drift  with  the  current,  in  that  way  slip 
unobserved  away  down  the  river.  But  a  very  few 
minutes'  consideration  of  that  scheme  sufficed  to 
convince  me  of  its  impracticability.  I  felt  convinced 
that  our  enemies  were  quite  shrewd  enough  to  an- 
ticipate and  make  due  provision  for  any  such  attempt 
on  our  part.  I  felt  certain,  indeed,  that  would 
the  fog  but  lift  for  a  moment  of  which,  however, 
there  was  not  the  most  remote  probability,  we  should 
find  ourselves  completely  hemmed  in  by  a  cordon  of 
canoes  lying  silently  and  patiently  in  waiting  for 
the  undertaking  of  some  such  attempt  on  our  part. 
And,  doubtless,  all  their  arrangements  were  so 
framed  that,  in  the  event  of  our  making  any  such 
attempt,  a  simple  signal  would  announce  our  where- 
abouts and  enable  the  entire  flotilla  to  close  in  at 
once  upon  us ;  in  which  case  our  fate  must  be  cer- 
tain and  speedy.  'No,  I  decided,  the  risk  was  alto- 
gether too  great  and  the  j)rospects  of  success  too 
infinitesimal  to  justify  any  such  attempt. 

Then  as  to  the    expected   attack.     They  would 
probably  wait  an  hour  or  two,  in  the  hope  of  tempt- 


342  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

ing  us  to  venture  afloat ;  then,  failing  that,  they 
Avould  cautiously  close  in  upon  the  island,  land,  steal 
up  as  close  as  possible  to  the  battery,  and  then  en- 
deavor to  overpower  us  with  a  sudden  rush. 

Fortunately  it  was  not  absolutely  dark,  notwith- 
standing the  fog,  there  being  a  moon  in  her  first 
quarter,  which,  though  invisible,  imparted  a  certain 
luminous  quality  to  the  haze ;  and  two  or  three 
stars  of  the  first  magnitude  were  faintly  visible  in 
the  zenith,  so  that  if  any  fighting  had  to  be  done  we 
should  at  least  have  light  enough  to  distinguish  be- 
tween friend  and  foe. 

This  anticipation  of  an  attempted  surprise,  of 
course  necessitated  the  maintenance  of  a  keen  and 
incessant  lookout.  I  accordingly  jDosted  half  my 
small  command  round  the  walls,  with  instructions  to 
fire  unhesitatingly  at  any  moving  object  which  might 
come  within  their  range  of  vision.  But  I  did  not 
expect  an  immediate  attack ;  indeed,  the  more  I 
weighed  the  chances  of  such  a  thing  the  less  did 
they  appear  to  be,  and  in  the  mean  time  we  were  in 
urgent  need  of  water,  our  stock  being  almost  ex- 
hausted. Hitherto  we  had  refrained  from  drinking 
the  river  water,  it  having  a  peculiar  sweetish  taste 
which  scarcely  suited  our  palates ;  but  very  soon  it 
would  be  "  river  water  or  nothing,"  and  I  thought 
that  probably  this  pause  of  expectation,  as  it  were, 
would  afford  us  as  good  an  opportunity  as  we  were 
likely  to  have  for  refilling  our  breakers. 

I  therefore  directed  the  party  who  were  not  en- 
gaged upon  sentry  duty  to  make  ready  for  a  trip  to 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       343 

the  river  with  two  of  the  empty  breakers.  But  be- 
fore engaging  so  large  a  portion  of  my  little  force  in 
an  expedition  which,  though  of  the  briefest,  might 
expose  them  to  great,  because  unexpected,  dangers, 
I  resolved  to  reconnoiter  the  ground  in  person,  and 
with  this  object  in  view  slipped  noiselessly  over  the 
parapet  to  the  ground  outside,  and  throwing  myself 
at  full  length  upon  the  grass,  already  wet  with  the 
heavy  dew,  commenced  a  slow  and  disagreeable 
journey  to  the  water  side.  I  intended  at  first  to 
take  a  look  at  the  cutter  en  ixuscmt,  but  a  moment's 
thought  decided  me  against  this  course,  it  being  just 
possible  that  I  might  find  a  few  savages  either 
already  established  in  possession  or  keeping  a 
stealthy  watch  upon  the  boat  in  readiness  to  pounce 
upon  any  incautious  white  man  who  might  venture 
to  approach  her.  I  accordingly  set  out  in  a  direction 
about  at  right  angles  to  that  which  would  have  led 
me  down  to  the  boat,  and  though  this  entailed  a 
considerably  longer  journey,  I  regarded  it  as  also  a 
very  much  safer  one. 

After  a  somewhat  long  and  tedious  journey — long, 
that  is  to  say,  in  point  of  time,  though  the  distance 
traversed  was  very  short — I  reached  the  water's  edge 
without  adventure,  and  without  having  seen  the 
slightest  sign  indicating  the  presence  of  savages 
upon  the  island.  I  therefore  hastened  back  to  the 
battery — narrowly  escaping  being  shot  by  one  of 
our  people,  who,  in  his  excessive  alertness,  fired  upon 
me  without  first  giving  the  challenge — and  hastily 
gathering  together  the  watering-party  led  them  to 


344  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  brink  of  the  river  and  succeeded  in  securing  a 
couple  of  breakers  of  water,  which  I  considered 
would  be  sufficient  to  last  us  for  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours. 

Then  ensued  a  long  period  of  tense,  incessant,  and 
painful  Avatching  for  the  enemy,  who,  I  anticipated, 
might  make  their  appearance  at  any  moment.  But 
hour  after  hour  dragged  laggingly  away,  the  whole 
force  kept  incessantly  on  the  qui  vive  to  guard 
against  the  expected  attempt  at  surprise,  the  men, 
wearied  out  by  their  excessive  exertions  of  the 
previous  day,  needing  a  continuous,  uninterrupted 
round  of  visits  from  me  to  prevent  their  falling 
asleep  upon  their  arms. 

And  thus  the  long  night  at  length  wore  itself 
away ;  a  faint  glimmer  of  dawn  appeared  in  the 
eastern  sky,  rapidly  brightening,  the  fog  assumed  a 
rosy  flush,  and  presently  up  rose  the  glorious  sun, 
gleaming  like  a  white-hot  ball  through  the  haze,  a 
faint  breeze  from  the  westward  sprang  up,  the  mist 
rolled  away  like  a  curtain,  and  there  lay  the  noble 
river  around  us,  sparkling  like  a  sheet  of  molten 
silver  under  the  morning  sunbeams.  And  there, 
too,  lay  the  flotilla  of  canoes,  completely  hemming 
us  in  on  every  side,  thus  fully  justifying  the  caution 
which  had  prevented  my  attempting  to  eflfect  an 
escape  down  the  river  during  the  preceding  night. 

It  was  exasperating  now  to  the  last  degree  to 
know  that  our  night's  rest  had  been  thrown  away 
for  nothing,  and  that,  for  all  the  benefit  our  vigilance 
bad  been  to  us,  all  hands  might  just  as  well  have 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       345 

lain  down  and  gone  to  sleep  all  night ;  but  repining 
was  of  no  use  ;  we  had  naturally  expected  an  attack 
and  had  held  ourselves  in  readiness  to  meet  it,  and 
the  only  thing  that  remained  was  to  snatch  Avhat 
rest  we  could  during  the  day.  It  was  a  great 
advantage  to  be  able  to  once  more  see  our  enemies  ; 
and  as  there  seemed  to  be  no  immediate  disposition 
on  their  part  to  make  a  move,  I  gave  orders  for 
breakfast  to  be  got  under  weigh  as  speedil}^  as  pos- 
sible, stationing  a  lookout  at  each  angle  of  the 
battery  during  the  discussion  of  the  meal. 

We  had  scarcely  settled  ourselves  when  the  alarm 
was  given  that  the  canoes  were  advancing,  and, 
leaping  to  our  feet,  we  found  that  such  was  indeed 
the  case,  the  whole  fleet  having  tripped  their  anchors 
and  begun  paddling  in  toward  the  island. 

We  at  once  opened  fire  upon  them  from  the  nine- 
pounders  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  the  rascals  had 
not  only  learned  wisdom  but  had  also  evidently  very 
sharp  eyes,  for  at  the  moment  when  the  match  was 
about  to  be  applied  to  the  guns  the  canoes  immedi- 
ately in  the  line  of  fire  smartly  swerved  from  their 
course  and  the  shot  went  hissing  harmlessly  past, 
missing  their  mark  by  the  merest  hair's-breadth. 

Before  we  had  time  to  load  again  the  savages  had 
effected  a  landing  upon  the  beach,  and  then  ensued 
a  repetition  of  the  previous  day's  fighting,  excepting 
that  our  antagonists  fought  with  their  energies  re- 
newed by  a  quiet  night's  rest  and  moro  obstinately 
than  ever,  whilst  we  were  weary  and  fagged  by  our 
long  and   fruitless  watch.     During    the   desperate 


346  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

struggle  which  consumed  the  next  quarter  of  an 
hour  half  a  dozen  natives  managed  at  different  times 
to  actually  force  their  way  into  the  battery,  but 
luckily  for  us  they  got  in  only  one  at  a  time  and 
they  were  promptly  despatched. 

At  last  they  were  beaten  off  and  compelled  to 
retire  to  their  canoes  as  before,  carrying  away  with 
them  their  killed  and  wounded — of  whom  I  counted 
no  less  than  thirty  being  borne  away  by  tlieir  com- 
rades— our  lads  "  freshening  their  way  "  for  them 
with  a  hot  musketry  fire  so  long  as  they  remained 
within  range. 

Then  followed  another  brief  interval  during  which 
we  finished  our  scanty  breakfast,  after  which,  having 
seen  the  guns  and  muskets  loaded  afresh,  I  under- 
took to  maintain  a  lookout,  and  ordered  the  men  to 
lie  down  and  snatch  such  rest  as  they  could  get. 

But  our  foes,  wily  as  savages  always  are,  had  evi- 
dently in  their  recent  hand  to  hand  struggle  with  us 
detected  the  evidences  of  our  extreme  fatigue,  and 
were  by  no  means  disposed  to  allow  us  much  time 
or  opportunity  to  recuperate  our  exhausted  energies, 
for  the  men  had  scarcely  flung  themselves  upon  the 
ground,  where  sleep  instantly  seized  upon  them, 
when  the  canoes  were  once  more  put  in  motion  and 
again  the  unhappy  blue-jackets  were  called  upon  to 
resist  an  attack.  I  now  began  to  feel  a  strong  sus- 
picion that  the  enemy  had  quite  counted  upon  our 
being  kept  upon  the  alert  during  the  whole  of  the 
previous  night,  the  perfect  silence  which  they  had 
maintained  being,  as  they  very  probably  surmised, 


THE    SITUATION    BECOMES    DESPERATE.       347 

rather  a  harassing  than  a  reassuring  circumstance  to 
us,  and  that  they  fully  intended  to  take  the  fullest 
possible  advantage  of  this  during  the  ensuing  day. 
But  their  heavy  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  had  at 
the  same  time  made  them  increasingly  wary,  and 
for  the  next  hour  or  two  they  contented  themselves 
with  a  continuous  series  of  demonstrations  which 
drew  our  fire  and  kept  us  incessantly  on  the  alert, 
without  actually  renewing  their  attack. 

At  length  the  wind  dropped  away  to  a  flat  calm 
and  the  rays  of  the  unclouded  sun  beat  remorselessly 
down  upon  us  with  a  fierce  intensity  which  in  our 
exhausted  condition  was  positive  agony.  A  burning, 
unquenchable  thirst  took  possession  of  us,  and  the  men 
resorted  to  the  water-kegs  so  incessantly  that  the 
water  diminished  with  startling  rapidity,  and  fore- 
seeing the  possible  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  further 
supply  I  was  at  last  reluctantly  compelled  to  put 
them  upon  an  allowance,  so  that  very  speedily  we  had 
thirst  added  to  our  other  miseries.  And  during  all 
this  time  our  aching  eyes  were  every  moment  di- 
rected down  the  river  in  the  hope,  which  grew  less 
and  less  as  the  day  wore  on,  of  detecting  the  ap- 
proach of  the  boats  which  we  felt  certain  were  on 
their  way  to  effect  our  rescue. 


348  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

RESCUED. 

Finally  the  long,  harassing,  anxious  day  drew  to 
a  close,  the  sun  set,  the  night  mists  gathered  once 
more  about  us,  and  the  hoped-for  rescue  had  not  ap- 
peared. 

We  were  by  this  time  completely  worn  out,  and  I 
foresaw  that  unless  the  men  could  obtain  a  little  rest 
our  pertinacious  enemies  must  inevitably  prove 
victorious. 

Of  course  in  this  matter  of  rest  everything  de- 
pended upon  the  behavior  of  the  foe.  If  from  prin- 
ciple or  superstition,  or  for  any  other  reason,  it  was 
their  invariable  habit  to  abstain  from  fighting  at  night 
all  might  yet  be  well  with  us,  for  though  our  stock  of 
provisions  and  water  was  getting  low,  and  the  am- 
munition for  our  muskets  was  getting  short,  I  felt 
convinced  that,  could  our  lads  but  secure  three  or 
four  hours  of  unbroken  rest,  they  were  quite  equal 
to  holding  the  battery  for  another  twenty -four  hours 
at  least.  Unfortunately  I  knew  nothing  whatever 
about  the  fighting  customs  of  the  natives,  and  was 
consequently  quite  without  a  guide  of  any  kind  be- 
yond my  own  reason.  I  felt  convinced  that  the 
blacks  had  fully  realized  the  advantage  to  them  of 


RESCUED.  349 

our  fagged  condition  during  the  past  day,  and  had 
little  doubt  but  that  they  were  acute  enough  to  trace 
it  to  its  correct  source  ;  the  question  then  was,  would 
they  allow  us  to  pass  an  undisturbed  night  and  thus 
sacrifice  an  important  advantage  ?  I  greatly  doubted 
it.  But  they  might  allow  a  few  hours'  cessation  of 
hostilities  in  the  hope  of  lulling  us  into  a  feeling  of 
false  security,  and  thus  making  us  the  victims  of 
an  easy,  yet  well-executed  surprise.  The  more  I 
thought  about  the  matter  the  more  probable  did  this 
course  of  action  appear ;  and  at  last  I  resolved  to  put 
it  to  the  test  by  dividing  the  men  into  watches  and 
allowing  them  an  hour's  sleep  at  a  time. 

But  before  doing  this  I  thought  I  would  repeat 
my  experiment  of  the  previous  night  and  endeavor 
to  secure  a  little  more  water,  and  this  I  did  with 
such  signal  success  that  we  actually  refilled  all  our 
breakers,  besides  giving  every  man  an  opportunity 
to  completely  slake  his  thirst. 

It  was  just  eight  o'clock  p.  m.  by  the  time  that  we 
had  completed  our  preparations,  and  I  then  made 
half  the  men  lie  down,  which  they  did,  falling  in- 
stantly asleep.  This  of  course  necessitated  increased 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  the  watchers,  each  of  whom 
had  to  guard  a  double  length  of  parapet ;  but  the 
first  hour  passed  peacefully  away,  and  the  sleepers 
were  aAvakened  in  order  that  we  might  have  our 
turn.  It  was  really  amusing,  notwithstanding  the 
gravity  of  our  situation,  to  hear  each  man  protest  as 
he  sat  up  and  rubbed  his  eyes  that  we  had  not  treated 
them  fairly,  and  that  they  had  only  that  moment 


350  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

fallen  asleep.  But  when  assured  to  the  contrary 
they  roused  up  at  once,  and  I  was  greatly  gratified 
to  see  that,  short  as  had  been  their  period  of  rest,  it 
had  undoubtedly  done  them  a  world  of  good.  The 
"  watch  on  deck  "  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
the  man  Tom,  who  had  done  such  good  service  with 
the  carronade  on  board  the  cutter,  he  being,  in  my 
opinion,  the  most  trustworthy  man  in  the  party ; 
and  giving  him  the  most  stringent  orders  to  keep  a 
bright  lookout,  to  fire  at  once  and  unhesitatingly 
on  any  moving  object  which  might  make  its  appear- 
ance, and  to  call  me  in  the  event  of  anything  taking 
place  out  of  the  common,  I  flung  myself  upon  the 
ground  with  my  back  to  the  sod  parapet,  and  in  the 
act  of  folding  my  arms  across  my  chest  fell  asleep. 

To  be  cruelly  awakened  the  next  instant,  almost 
before  I  had  had  time  to  fully  realize  the  blessedness 
of  the  gift  of  sleep. 

"  Well,  Tom,  what  is  it  ?  Has  the  enemy  hove  in 
sight?"  I  exclaimed,  pettishly,  rubbing  away  at 
my  eyes  to  force  them  open. 

"  No,  sir  ;  everything's  still  quiet,  thank  God." 

"  Then  what  did  you  wake  me  for,  in  Heaven's 
name  ? " 

"  Four  bells,  sir ;  our  turn  for  a  spell  of  sleep 
again,  sir,"  was  the  exasperating  reply. 

"  Four  bells !     Nonsense !  " 

I  could  not  believe  it.  As  in  the  case  of  the  others 
it  really  seemed  as  though  I  had  not  actually  had 
time  to  get  to  sleep  at  all,  yet  I  had  slept  soundly 
for  an  hour,  and  on  staggering  to  my  feet,  though 


RESCUED.  351 

the  abrupt  awakening  had  inflicted  upon  me  positive 
suffering,  I  found  when  fairly  awake,  that  I  was 
very  distinctly  the  better  for  my  short  nap,  which 
seemed  to  have  made  up,  at  least  partially,  in  sound- 
ness what  it  lacked  in  duration. 

Another  hour  passed  peacefully — and  this  time 
not  quite  so  laggingly — away  ;  our  turn  again  ar- 
rived for  a  rest ;  and  once  more  did  we  enjoy  for  a 
brief  space  the  bliss  of  perfect  oblivion.  At  mid- 
night we  were  called  again,  Tom  reporting  that 
neither  sight  nor  sound  had  occurred  during  his 
watch  to  disturb  him.  "We  now  began  to  feel  really 
refreshed,  and  during  the  next  hour  some  of  the 
men  in  my  watch  actually  found  superfluous  energy 
enough  to  hum  under  their  breath  a  snatch  or  two 
of  a  forecastle  song  as  they  paced  vigilantly  to  and 
fro  over  the  short  stretch  of  ground  which  con- 
stituted their  "  beat." 

As  the  silent  hour  flitted  away  without  disquiet- 
ing sight  or  sound  of  any  kind  I  began  to  feel  san- 
guine that  w^e  were  going  to  be  blessed  with  unin- 
terrupted peace  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  and 
inwardly  resolved  that  if  matters  still  continued 
satisfactory  after  my  Avatch  had  had  its  next  hour's 
sleep  I  would  extend  the  period  of  sleep  to  two  hours 
for  the  next  watch,  which,  with  what  they  had  al- 
ready had,  ought  to  put  them  in  excellent  trim  for 
the  fatigues  of  the  succeeding  day,  whatever  they 
might  be.  And  with  this  resolve  still  uppermost  in 
my  mind  I  laid  down  and  once  more  dropped  to 
sleep  when  my  turn  came  at  one  o'clock  a.  m. 


352  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

Two  o'clock  arrived,  our  watcli  was  called,  and 
still  there  had  been  no  sign  of  the  enemy.  I 
thought  we  might  now  safely  reckon  upon  being  al- 
lowed to  }3ass  the  remainder  of  the  night  undisturbed ; 
1  accordingly  informed  the  retiring  watch  that  un- 
less we  happened  to  be  attacked  in  the  interim  they 
would  now  be  allowed  to  sleep  for  a  spell  of  two 
hours  instead  of  one,  and  they  forthwith  composed 
themselves  for  a  good  long  nap. 

But  it  was  not  to  be.  An  hour  later  one  of  the  men 
startled  us  all  into  instant  wakefulness  by  sharply 
giving  the  challenge,  which  was  instantly  repeated 
all  round  the  battery,  and  peering  anxiously  into  the 
fog  I  detected  the  indistinct  presence  of  several 
shapeless  objects  Ij^ing  prone  upon  the  ground  where 
I  knew  that  nothing  of  the  kind  ought  to  be.  These 
objects  were  quite  motionless ;  but  the  man  who  had 
first  given  the  challenge  assured  me  that  his  attention 
had  first  been  attracted  to  them  by  a  stealthy  move- 
ment. Ordering  the  man  to  at  once  rouse  the  sleep- 
ers, cautioning  them  individually  to  take  up  their 
proper  stations  noiselessly  behind  the  parapet,  I 
waited  until  every  man  had  gained  his  post,  and 
then  taking  a  steady  aim  at  one  of  the  objects  I  dis- 
charged my  musket. 

With  a  shriek  of  pain  the  object  at  which  I  had 
fired  half  raised  itself  to  an  erect  position  and  then 
fell  heavily  forward.  At  the  same  moment  a  loud, 
blood-curdling  yell  resounded  upon  the  heavy  night 
air,  and  the  foggy  background  instantly  became 
alive  with  the  forms  of  the  savages  who  sprang  to 


RESCUED.  353 

their  feet  and  came  bounding  toward  the  batter}^, 
hurling  their  spears  as  they  came. 

"  Take  steady  aim,  my  men ;  select  your  mark, 
and  each  bring  down  your  man  if  possible ;  keep 
cool  now.  Ah  !  I  am  hit !  "  I  exclaimed,  as  a  spear 
came  whizzing  in  over  the  parapet,  passing  clean 
through  the  fleshy  part  of  my  right  thigh.  In  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  it  did  not  take  me  a 
second  to  relieve  myself  of  my  unpleasant  encum- 
brance by  drawing  the  spear  shaft  right  through  the 
wound ;  and  the  next  moment  I  found  myself  en- 
gaged with  the  rest  in  resisting  the  hottest  and  most 
determined  assault  to  which  we  had  hitherto  been 
subjected.  Luckily  for  us  the  battery  was  only  a 
small  affair,  and  our  party  was  therefore  large 
enough  to  take  pretty  good  care  of  it,  otherwise 
that  night  attack  would  have  ended  the  business. 
But  our  men  had  now  had  the  benefit  and  refresh- 
ment of  three  hours'  sound  sleep,  and  they  fought 
with  such  renewed  energy,  such  dogged  determina- 
tion, that  the  assault  again  failed,  and  the  savages 
were  once  more  driven  off. 

That  satisfied  them  for  the  time  being.  They  had 
deferred  their  attack  until  the  early  hours  of  the 
morning,  doubtless  hoping  to  find  us  worn  out  with 
ceaseless  watching,  and  perchance  at  length  over- 
come with  sleep ;  and  instead  of  that  we  had  been 
found  more  alert  than  ever;  in  their  anxiety  to  take 
us  unawares  they  had  rather  overdone  it,  in  fact, 
and  the  result  was  that  they  left  us  undisturbed  for 

the  short  remainder  of  the  night. 
23 


354  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

There  was,  however,  no  more  rest  for  us ;  after 
this  well-planned  attempt  at  a  surprise  I  dared  not 
allow  any  of  my  small  party  to  again  go  off  duty, 
and  sunrise  found  us  still  anxiously  watching  for 
another  attack. 

When  the  mist  at  length  cleared  away  we  discov- 
ered the  hostile  canoes  still  closely  hemming  us  in  ; 
but  they  now  seemed  to  have  tired  of  their  fruitless 
efforts  to  take  the  battery  by  assault,  and  had  ap- 
parently made  up  their  minds  to  try  the  effect  of  a 
regular  siege.  This  was  bad  enough ;  for  our  pro- 
visions, though  husbanded  with  the  utmost  care, 
were  only  sufficient  to  allow  us  a  mere  mouthful  each 
for  two  meals  during  that  day  ;  but  to  be  spared  the 
fatigue  of  constantly  fighting  was  something  to  be 
grateful  for ;  and  I  felt  certain  that  the  relief  ex- 
pedition m  list  a]:)pear  before  the  lapse  of  many  hours 
longer.  We  consequently  sat  down  to  our  scanty 
morning  meal  not  only  with  excellent  apjDetites  but 
also  in  very  fair  spirits,  considering  what  we  had 
lately  been  called  upon  to  endure ;  and,  the  meal 
over,  I  next  d6voted  my  attention  to  the  wounded, 
of  whom  there  were  by  this  time  several,  and  did 
what  I  could  to  make  them  and  myself  as  comforta- 
ble as  possible. 

About  an  hour  after  sunrise  a  little  air  from  the 
eastward  sprang  up,  and  by  nine  a.  m.  it  Avas  blow- 
ing quite  a  free  breeze,  which,  though  it  certainly  re- 
freshed us  greatly,  and  was  in  pleasing  contrast  to  the 
suffocating  heat  of  the  day  before,  I  was  rather  sorry 
to  see ;  for  I  knew  that,  combined  with  the  current, 


RESCUED.  355 

it  would  seriously  retard  the  advance  of  our  friends 
up  the  river.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  was  getting  to  be 
a  trifle  anxious  about  this  matter ;  I  could  not  at 
all  understand  why  it  was  that  we  had  been  left  to 
take  care  of  ourselves  so  long.  If  the  French  boat 
had  reached  the  creek  in  safety  she  would  doubtless 
arrive  about  ten  or  eleven  p.  m,,  or  a  few  hours  only 
after  our  establishment  of  ourselves  upon  the  island. 
Forty  hours  or  thereabouts  had  elapsed  since  then, 
yet  there  was  no  sign  of  help.  Could  it  be  possible 
that  the  Frenchmen  had  not  escaped  after  all  ?  In 
that  case  we  might  have  to  wait  another  day,  or  even 
a  couple  of  days ;  for  I  thought  it  scarcely  probable 
that  Captain  Yernon  would  take  alarm  on  the  instant 
of  our  becoming  overdue.  I  was  anxiously  weighing 
all  these  surmises  in  my  mind,  and  endeavoring  to 
arrive  at  a  fair  and  reasonable  estimate  of  the  long- 
est possible  time  we  might  still  be  expected  to  hold 
out,  when  the  lookout  men  raised  a  simultaneous 
cheer,  followed  by  a  joyous  shout  of — 

"  The  boats !  The  boats !  Here  they  come.  Hur- 
rah !  " 

With  one  bound  I  reached  the  parapet ;  and,  sure 
enough,  at  a  distance  of  only  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
away,  and  just  sweeping  fairly  into  view  from  behind 
the  next  island  below  us,  the  launch,  pinnace,  and 
second  cutter  of  the  Dajphne  appeared,  with  their 
ensigns  streaming  in  the  breeze  and  the  quick-flash- 
ing oar-blades  and  the  bayonets  of  the  "  jollies  " 
gleaming  brightly  in  the  sun. 

"  Up.  lads !  and  give  them  a  cheer,  just  to  let  them 


356  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

know  where  we  are,"  I  exclaimed,  exultantly  ;  and 
at  the  word  up  scrambled  the  whole  of  our  little 
party  except  poor  old  Mildmay,  who  was  too  se- 
riously hurt  to  move  without  assistance — and  from 
the  top  of  the  parapet  we  sent  echoing  down  to  them 
upon  the  wings  of  the  breeze  three  such  ringing  cheers 
as  must  have  assured  them  of  the  sincerity  of  our  de- 
light at  their  appearance.  As  the  sound  reached  the 
boats  I  saw  the  officers  rise  in  the  stern  sheets  and 
wave  their  caps  to  us  in  response ;  the  oar-blades 
flashed  quicker  in  the  sun ;  the  foam  gathered  in  in- 
creasing volume  under  the  bows  of  the  boats  as  their 
crews  put  on  an  extra  spurt;  and  presently  a  flash 
and  a  puff  of  fleecy  smoke  started  out  simultaneously 
from  each  boat,  and  the  hoom  of  the  three  reports 
came  dull  and  heavy  to  us  against  the  opposing 
breeze. 

Of  course  we  full}"  expected  that  the  mere  appear- 
ance of  the  boats  would  suffice  to  put  our  sable 
enemies  to  flight,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  happened  ; 
on  the  contrary,  the  canoes  resolutely  faced  the  new- 
comers, and  evinced  a  very  decided  disposition  to 
dispute  their  passage  up  the  river. 

We  should  beat  them  to  a  certainty  ;  no  one  in 
their  sober  senses  could  for  a  moment  doubt  that 
but  in  the  mean  time,  if  it  actually  came  to  a  hand- 
to-hand  tussle  between  whites  and  blacks  ^ve  in  the 
battery,  who  had  already  had  so  many  opportunities 
of  observing  their  perfect  fearlessness,  knew  very 
well  that  the  latter  could  make  matters  decidedly 
difficult  and  unpleasant  for  our  friends. 


RESCUED.  357 

But  it  was  no  time  just  then  for  cogitation  ;  the 
moment  for  decisive  action  liad  arrived,  and  I  forth- 
with took  the  necessary  steps  to  enable  our  party  to 
do  their  share  of  the  work  in  hand. 

"  That  will  do,  lads,"  I  exclaimed,  as  the  men  on 
the  parapet  paused  to  recover  the  breath  they  had 
expended  in  their  vociferous  greeting  to  the  boats. 
"  Jump  down  and  man  the  guns.  Load  and  double 
shot  them  ;  and  you,  Tom,  place  the  remainder  of 
those  fuses  in  the  magazine  in  such  a  way  that  they 
will  do  their  work  effectually  when  required.  We 
will  give  the  canoes  another  broadside,  just  to 
'  freshen  their  way  '  and  show  them  that  we  are  in 
earnest ;  and  then  I  shall  abandon  and  blow  up  the 
battery  previous  to  shoving  off  to  join  our  lads 
yonder." 

The  men  turned  to  with  a  will ;  the  guns  were 
loaded ;  and  I  then  went  with  Tom  to  personally 
inspect  the  arrangement  of  the  fuses. 

When  all  was  ready  I  gave  the  word  to  fire ;  the 
six  guns  belched  forth  their  contents  simultaneously 
and  without  waiting  to  see  what  damage  had  been 
done,  the  men  seized  their  muskets,  the  water-kegs, 
and  our  few  other  belongings ;  and  with  two  hands 
especially  detailed  to  convey  the  master  carefully 
down  to  the  boat,  all  hands,  excepting  Tom  and  my- 
self left  the  battery  and  made  the  best  of  their  way 
down  to  the  cutter,  which,  after  depositing  poor  old 
Mildmay  as  comfortably  as  possible  in  the  stern- 
sheets,  they  got  afloat. 


358  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

"  Step  your  mast,"  I  shouted,  "  and  see  all  ready 
for  hoisting  the  sail." 

"  We  waited  patiently  until  we  saAV  that  every- 
thing was  ready  on  board  the  cutter ;  and  then  Tom 
and  I  ignited  the  fuses  in  the  three  magazines.  It 
was  awfully  risky  work,  as  the  fuses  were  fearfully 
short ;  but  it  had  to  be  done,  and  it  was  done  coolly 
and  smartly,  after  which  we  bounded  over  the  low 
parapet  and  ran  for  our  lives  down  to  the  boat. 

"  Shove  off  and  give  way  for  your  lives,  men,"  I 
panted,  as  we  tumbled  in  over  the  gunwale  with  a  con- 
siderable loss  of  shin-leather  ;  and  in  another  instant 
we  were  surging  away  from  the  island  at  fast  as  the 
oars  and  sail  would  drive  us.  The  men  were  just 
belaying  the  halliards  of  the  lug  when — hoora — a  dull 
heavy  rejDort  came  from  the  battery  ;  a  great  black 
cloud  of  smoke  and  dust,  liberally  intermixed  with 
clods  and  stones  and  masses  of  earth,  shot  up  into 
the  air,  and  when  it  cleared  away  the  hattery  was 
gone. 

"  Now,  Tom,  jump  forward,  my  man,  and  get  that 
carronade  loaded  with  grape  or  canister  or  lan- 
gridge,  anything  you  happen  to  have  handy,  and  be 
smart  about  it,  my  fine  fellow,"  I  exclaimed,  as  I 
saw  a  group  of  canoes  separate  themselves  from  the 
rest  and  form  in  line  across  our  course,  evidently 
for  the  purpose  of  opposing  our  passage  and  prevent- 
ing our  effecting  a  junction  with  our  friends. 
"  Load  your  muskets,  men,  and  draw  your  cutlasses  ; 
we  must  get  through  that  line  of  canoes  somehow, 
and  I  mean  to  do  it." 


RESCUED.  359 

The  men  obeyed  without  a  word  ;  their  blood  was 
by  this  time  thoroughly  aroused ;  they  were  all 
aquiver  with  eager  excitement ;  and  as  I  looked  at 
them  sitting  there  upon  the  thwarts,  facing  forward, 
with  their  naked  cutlasses  beside  them  and  their 
loaded  muskets  firmly  grasped  in  their  hands,  their 
fingers  just  feeling  the  triggers,  their  teeth  clenched, 
and  their  eyes  flashing,  I  felt  that  nothing  short  of 
a  frigate  with  her  crew  at  quarters  would  stop 
them. 

The  rescuing  party  was  by  this  time  smartly  en- 
gaged with  the  main  body  of  the  canoes,  and  by 
their  tardy  progress  I  knew  that  they  already  had 
their  hands  fully  occupied.  The  detachment  which 
had  assumed  the  responsibility  of  intercepting  us 
had- separated  itself  some  distance  from  the  main 
body,  and  was  now  formed  in  a  double  line  right 
across  our  course,  altering  its  position  from  time  to 
time  in  such  a  manner  as  to  keep  always  square 
ahead  of  us.  I  saw  that  it  would  be  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  dodge  them ;  we  had  not  time  for  that ;  so 
I  directed  the  coxswain  to  steer  straight  for  the 
broadside  of  the  midship  canoe,  the  craft,  that  is  to 
say,  which  occupied  the  center  of  the  opposing  line. 
She  was  a  biggish  craft  for  a  canoe,  being  somewhere 
about  fifty  feet  long,  and  manned  by  forty  negroes ; 
the  canoe  which  lay  on  her  starboard  side,  or  beyond 
her,  being  about  the  same  size.  There  were  sixteen 
more  canoes  in  the  line ;  and  altogether  they  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  a  very  formidable  barrier. 
But  I  had  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  pretty 


360  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

well  what  they  were  when  Smellie  and  I,  bound 
hand  and  foot,  took  our  memorable  cruise  up  the 
river  in  one  of  them,  and  I  knew  that  they  were, 
after  all,  but  very  crank,  flimsy,  fragile  affairs,  not 
to  be  compared  for  a  moment  in  strength  with  the 
stout  boat  which  carried  us  at  such  a  gallant  pace 
over  the  swirling  river.  So  I  determined  to  give  our 
foolhardy  opponents  the  stem,  trusting  to  the  weight 
and  momentum  of  the  boat  to  enable  us  to  break 
through  the  line. 

On  rushed  the  cutter,  the  breeze  roaring  merrily 
over  her,  and  the  broad  lug-sail  dragging  at  her  like 
a  team  of  cart-horses  ;  whilst  Tom  crouched  in  the 
bows,  squinting  along  the  sights  of  his  piece,  and 
holding  himself  in  readiness  to  fire  at  the  instant 
that  he  should  get  the  order.  We  were  within  a 
hundred  feet  of  the  line  of  canoes  when  the  crew  of 
the  big  craft  began  to  see  danger ;  they  had  hoped, 
by  their  persistent  demonstration  of  barring  our 
path,  to  intimidate  us,  but,  now  that  it  was  too  late, 
they  saw  that  they  had  failed,  that  we  meant  mis- 
chief, and,  setting  up  a  loud  yell  of  consternation, 
they  plied  their  paddles  desperately  in  an  effort  to 
avoid  the  impending  collision.  It  was  unavailing  ; 
the  canoes  ahead  and  astern  of  them,  confused  like 
themselves,  and  onl}^  imperfectly  comprehending 
what  their  comrades  would  be  at,  closed  in  upon  in- 
stead of  separating  from  them  ;  and  immediate  dire 
confusion  was  the  result.  When  within  twenty  yards 
of  them  Tom  delivered  the  contents  of  his  carronade, 
and   an  immediate  outburst  of  groans,  yells,  and 


RESCUED.  361 

shrieks  bore  testimony  to  the  accuracy  of  his  aim. 
Before  the  smoke  had  fairly  cleared  away  the  cutter 
was  upon  them.  The  big  canoe  nearest  us  had  been 
torn  nearly  in  halves  by  the  discharge  of  the  car- 
ronade,  and  we  swept  over  her  almost  without  feel- 
ing it.  The  other  big  fellow  was,  however,  afloat 
and  apparently  uninjured.  Another  yell  of  terror 
went  up  from  her  occupants  as  our  sail  overshadowed 
them ;  there  was  a  violent  shock  as  our  strong  iron- 
bound  stem  crashed  down  upon  their  gunwale,  the 
canoe  heeled  over,  and  the  cutter  leaped  upward  as 
she  crushed  her  way  through  and  over  this  second 
adversary.  For  a  few  seconds  we  were  involved  in 
a  confused  medley  of  canoes  and  wreckage,  of  drown- 
ing savages  wildly  clutching  at  the  gunwales  of  the 
boat  in  an  ineffectual  effort  to  save  themselves  ;  there 
was  a  rattling  volley  of  musketry,  a  flash  or  two  of 
cutlass  blades,  and  then  away  sped  the  cutter  once 
more.      We  were  through. 

Our  carronade  was  quickly  loaded  again,  but 
happily  further  destruction  of  human  life  was  un- 
necessary. The  savages,  who  seemed  to  have  de- 
pended implicitly  upon  the  power  of  their  detached 
squadron  to  stop  us,  became  demoralized  when  they 
saw  the  cutter  dash  irresistibly  through  the  opposing 
line,  and  receiving  at  the  same  time  very  severe 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  rescuing  party,  they 
broke  up  suddenly  and  beat  a  precipitate  retreat, 
each  canoe  seemingly  striving  to  outdo  the  rest  in 
the  speed  of  its  flight.  And  thus  ended  victoriously 
for  us  the  fight  which  we  had  been  for  over  forty 


362  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

hours  maintaining  against  such  apparently  over- 
whelming odds. 

We  soon  found  ourselves  alongside  the  launch, 
and  hearty  were  the  congratulations  and  eager  the 
questions  which  were  showered  upon  us  by  her  crew, 
quickly  repeated  by  those  of  the  other  two  boats, 
which  joined  in  almost  immediately  afterwards. 

"  You  seem  to  have  been  in  rather  a  bad  fix,"  ex- 
claimed Armitage,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
boats,  as  he  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand.  "  Tell 
us  all  about  it." 

I  detailed  as  succinctly  as  possible  all  that  had 
transpired  since  our  departure  from  the  ship,  and 
wound  up  by  a  suggestion  that  if  they  had  any  spare 
rations  the}^  would  be  most  acceptable. 

"  Rations !  "  exclaimed  Armitage ;  "  to  be  sure  we 
have,  my  boy  ;  but  let  us  adjourn  to  this  island  of 
yours,  where  we  can  get  them  properly  cooked.  I 
feel  curious  to  see  the  spot  which  you  held  so  pluckily 
for  so  long  a  time.  But,  by  the  bye,  where  is  the 
French  boat  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  The  French  boat !  Has  she  not  turned  up  at  the 
creek  ?  "  I  exclaimed  in  surprise.  "  We  felt  certain 
of  her  escape,  and  indeed,  depended  upon  the  in- 
formation she  would  convey  of  our  predicament  for 
the  despatch  of  assistance." 

"  She  had  not  put  in  an  appearance  up  to  the  time 
of  our  starting  at  noon  yesterday,  nor  have  we  seen 
any  sign  of  her  during  our  passage  up  the  stream," 
was  the  reply.  "  You  were  due  to  return,  you 
know,  the  evening  before  last,  and  when  yesterday 


RESCUED.  363 

morning  came,  without  your  appearance,  Captain 
Vernon  became  uneasy.  He  allowed  you  until  noon, 
however ;  but  when  noon  passed  leaving  you  still  noti 
est,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  something  was 
amiss,  and  despatched  us  in  quest  of  you  at  once. 
So  this  is  the  scene  of  the  struggle,  eh  ?  "  as  the 
boats  grounded  on  the  beach  of  the  island.  "A 
pretty  scene  of  ruin  it  is." 

And  so  it  was.  The  battery  had  been  completely 
obliterated  by  the  explosion,  nothing  remaining  to 
mark  its  site  but  the  scattered  fragments  of  the  sod 
walls  and  the  dismounted  guns  ;  the  charred  re- 
mains of  the  barrack,  a  short  distance  away,  aiding, 
to  complete  the  picture  of  destruction.  An  immense 
number  of  native  spears  were  lying  scattered  about 
all  over  the  ground,  and  these  were  promptly  col- 
lected by  the  seamen  as  souvenirs  of  the  struggle. 


364  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


AN  AWFUL   CATASTKOPHE. 


Meanwhile  the  Spaniards  were  still  lying  perdu 
on  board  the  hulk  as  they  had  remained  from  the 
moment  of  our  driving  them  out  the  battery.  Dur- 
ing the  discussion  of  our  much-needed  meal,  the 
question  of  what  steps  we  should  take  with  regard 
to  them  had  been  canvassed ;  and,  our  appetites  at 
length  satisfied,  Armitage  and  I  walked  across  the 
island  to  make  a  closer  inspection  of  the  position  of 
the  craft. 

I  had  wondered  greatly,  at  odd  times  during  our 
protracted  struggle  with  the  savages,  how  the  Span- 
iards had  managed  to  transfer  so  rapidly  from  the 
barrack  to  the  hulk,  the  large  number  of  slaves 
which  the  former  must  have  contained,  and  now  the 
riddle  was  solved.  On  arriving  abreast  of  the  hulk 
we  found  that  a  small  timber  jetty  had  been  con- 
structed from  the  shore  to  a  point  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  hulk,  and  we  could  see  in  a  moment  that  by 
easing  off  the  moorings  of  the  hulk,  the  current 
would  carry  her  fairly  alongside  this  jetty,  where 
without  doubt,  she  must  have  been  lying  when  we 
first  hove  in  sight.     The  slaves  had  evidently  been 


AN   AWFUL  CATASTROPHE.  365 

marched  straight  on  board  her  over  the  jetty,  and 
her  bow  and  stern  moorings  then  hove  in  until  she 
had  been  hauled  far  enough  away  from  the  jetty  to 
render  her  capture  by  its  means  impossible. 

After  a  little  further  conversation  with  Armitage 
it  was  agreed  that  the  Spaniards  should  be  hailed 
and  ordered  to  surrender,  and  this  was  accordingly 
done.  We  had  no  very  great  hope  of  success,  as  we 
felt  sure  the  Spaniards  must  be  fully  aAvare  of  the 
difficulty  we  should  experience  in  capturing  the  hulk. 

As  before  stated,  she  towered  so  high  out  of  the 
water  and  her  sides  were  so  bare  that  the  Spaniards, 
small  as  was  their  number,  could  effectually  resist 
all  our  efforts  to  capture  her  by  boarding ;  to  fire 
into  and  sink  her  would  only  result  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  the  slaves  on  board  her ;  and  as  she  was 
moored  with  heavy  chains  instead  of  hemp  hawsers, 
to  cut  her  adrift  and  let  her  ground  upon  the  island 
was  quite  as  impracticable  as  would  have  been  any 
attempt  to  board  her. 

We  were  therefore  very  agreeably  surprised  when 
the  Spaniards,  in  response  to  our  hail,  at  once  con- 
sented to  abandon  the  hulk,  provided  we  would 
allow  them  to  depart  unmolested  in  their  boat. 
This  arrangement  suited  us  very  well,  we  being  just 
then  anything  but  anxious  to  hamper  ourselves  with 
prisoners,  and  the  required  promise  was  unhesitat- 
ingly made.  The  Spaniards  thereupon  provisioned 
their  boat,  lowered  her  into  the  water,  and  half  an 
hour  later  disappeared  round  a  bend  of  the  river  on 
their  way  down  stream.     Taking  immediate  posses- 


366  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

sion  of  the  hulk,  we  dropped  her  in  alongside  the 
jetty  once  more,  and  landed  the  slaves  upon  the 
island.  They  were  all,  for  a  wonder,  in  fairly  good 
condition,  having  evidently  been  well  taken  care  of, 
with  the  view  of  fitting  them  as  thoroughly  as  pos- 
sible to  withstand  the  terrible  hardships  of  the 
notorious  Middle  Passage. 

Having  at  length  cleared  the  hulk  we  next  trans- 
ferred the  slaves  in  batches  to  the  boats,  by  which 
they  were  conveyed  across  the  stream  to  the  main- 
land, where  they  were  freed  and  left  to  shift  for 
themselves,  the  provisions  found  on  board  the  hulk 
being  distributed  as  evenly  as  possibly  among  them. 
Landed  thus  in  a  possibly  hostile  country — for  they 
were  evidently  a  different  race  of  people  from  those 
with  whom  we  had  recently  had  so  desperate  a 
struggle — unarmed,  and  with  only  a  small  supply 
of  provisions,  their  situation  was  perhaps  not  very 
much  better  than  it  had  been  when  they  lay  prison- 
ers on  board  the  hulk,  but  it  was  all  we  had  it  in 
our  power  to  do  for  them  under  the  circumstances, 
and  we  could  only  hope  that  their  wit  would  prove 
equal  to  the  task  of  steering  them  clear  of  the  many 
dangers  to  which  they  were  exposed,  and  conduct- 
ing them  safely  back  to  their  own  country.  There 
were  rather  more  than  eight  hundred  of  them  al- 
together, counting  in  the  piccaninnies,  and  the  trans- 
fer of  them  to  the  mainland  fully  occupied  us  until 
within  half  an  hour  of  sunset.  As  we  were  by  that 
time  pretty  well  fagged  out,  and  as  it  was  mani- 
festl}^  too  late  to  make  any  progress  worth  speak- 


AN   AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  367 

ing  of  on  oar  way  back  to  the  creek  that  night,  we 
resolved  to  remain  until  daylight  upon  the  island, 
which  we  did  without  receiving  molestation  or  an- 
noyance of  an}^  kind  from  anybody. 

At  eight  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  having 
previously  breakfasted,  we  started  down  the  river, 
keeping  a  bright  lookout  for  the  French  boat  all  the 
way  down,  and  exploring  all  the  most  likely  creeks 
and  indentations  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  with- 
out discovering  any  trace  of  her.  This  protracted 
search  so  seriously  delayed  our  progress  that  we  were 
two  whole  days  making  the  passage  back  to  the 
creek,  and  on  arrival  there  we  discovered  that  three 
survivors  of  the  French  party  had  turned  up  on  board 
the  Vestale  the  previous  day,  reporting  the  capture 
of  the  boat  by  the  natives,  and  the  massacre  of  all 
hands  except  the  three  who  had  managed  somehow 
to  slip  their  bonds  and  make  good  their  escape  in  a 
canoe.  They  had  reported  that  their  capture  was 
due  to  our  abandonment  of  them,  it  appeared,  and 
the  insinuation,  which  Captain  Yernon  had  indig- 
nantly repudiated,  had  occasioned  a  very  serious  out- 
break of  ill-feeling  between  the  two  ships,  so  much 
so  indeed  that  the  commander  of  the  Vestale  had 
left  the  river  in  high  dudgeon  on  the  morning  of  the 
day  of  our  arrival,  refusing  absolutely  to  co-operate 
with  us  any  further.  I  was,  of  course,  subjected  to 
a  very  severe  cross-examination  by  Captain  Yernon 
on  the  subject ;  but  my  detailed  narrative  of  the 
affair,  which  was  confirmed  in  every  particular  by 
poor  old  Mildmay,  soon  satisfied  him  that  the  fault, 


368  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

if  fault  there  was,  rested  not  with  us  ;  and  both  Mild- 
may  and  myself  were  fully  exonerated  from  all  blame. 
Nay  more — the  master  generously  represented  my 
defense  of  the  battery  in  such  a  light  that  I  received 
the  skipper's  highest  commendations  and  renewed 
promises  of  support  and  assistance  in  my  career. 

At  sunrise  next  morning  we  weighed  and  stood 
out  to  sea,  bound  on  a  cruise  to  the  westward. 

The  next  two  months  passed  away  in  the  most 
drearily  uneventful  manner,  the  ship  being  at  sea  the 
whole  time.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  being  in  lat. 
4°  s.  and  long.  5°  e.  on  our  way  back  to  the  Congo, 
the  ship  standing  to  the  northward  and  eastward  at 
the  time,  under  all  plain  sail,  with  light  baffling  south- 
easterly airs,  the  lookout  aloft,  just  before  being 
relieved  at  noon,  reported  two  sail,  close  together, 
hove  to  broad  on  our  lee  bow.  The  usual  form  of 
questions  being  duly  put  by  Armitage,  who  happened 
to  be  the  officer  of  the  watch,  the  further  informa- 
tion was  elicited  that  one  of  them  was  a  brig  and  the 
other  a  full-rigged  ship ;  but  of  what  nationality 
they  were  it  was  difficult  to  say,  nothing  but  the 
heads  of  their  topgallant-sails  being  visible  above 
the  horizon  from  our  fore-topmast  crosstrees.  The 
matter  being  reported  to  Captain  Yernon,  orders 
were  given  for  our  course  to  be  so  altered  as  to  allow 
of  our  edging  down  upon  the  strangers  ;  the  fact  of 
their  being  hove  to  so  close  together  having  a  some- 
what suspicious  appearance. 

By  three  o'clock  p.  m.  we  had  neared  the  two 
vessels  sufficiently  to  bring  their  hulls  into  view  from 


AN    AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  369 

themainroyal-jard  ;  they  were  then  Jying-  broadside- 
ou  to  us  with  their  heads  to  the  eastward,  tlie  ship 
being  between  us  and  the  brig  ;  but  by  the  aid  of  our 
glasses  we  were  able  to  make  out  that  they  had  ap- 
parently dropped  alongside  each  other,  and  the  skip- 
per gave  it  as  his  decided  opinion  that  foul  play  was 
going  on  on  the  part  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  two 
craft.  This  opinion  was  shortly  afterwards  confirmed 
by  the  appearance  of  thick  clouds  of  black  smoke 
arising  from  the  ship;  the  brig  hauling  off  and 
standing  to  the  westward  under  every  stitch  of  can- 
vas she  could  spread. 

"  Undoubtedly  a  most  daring  act  of  piracy,  com- 
mitted under  our  very  noses,  too,"  commented  the 
skipper  to  me  as  the  smoke  rose  up  into  the  clear 
atmosphere  and  hung  like  a  great  pall  immediately 
over  the  doomed  ship.  We  were  walking  together 
fore  and  aft  upon  the  quarter-deck  at  the  time,  whis- 
tling most  earnestly  and  devoutly  for  a  wind,  as  in- 
deed were  all  hands  fore  and  aft.  Suddenly  Captain 
Yernon  paused,  and,  wetting  the  back  of  his  hand, 
held  it  up  to  the  air. 

"  The  wind  is  failing  us,"  he  remarked,  and  abrupt- 
ly dived  below  to  his  cabin. 

At  the  same  moment  I  noticed  that  the  corvette 
was  beading  three  or  four  points  to  the  eastward  of 
her  course. 

"  Hard  up  with  your  helm,  man,"  I  exclaimed  im- 
patiently to  the  wheel.  "  Where  are  you  taking  the 
ship  ? " 

"  The  wheel  is  hard  over,  sir,"  explained  the  poor 


370  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

fellow  with  patient  deference;  "but  she's  lost 
steerageway." 

Just  then  the  skipper  returned  to  the  deck. 

"  Pipe  away  the  first  and  second  cutters,  Mr. 
Hawkesley,"  he  exclaimed,  sharply.  "  Take  charge 
of  th era  yourself  with  one  of  the  midshipmen  to  help 
you,  and  pull  down  to  the  burning  ship.  As  likely 
as  not  you  will  find  that  a  similar  trick  has  been 
played  there  to  the  one  by  which  that  unfortunate 
man  Richards  and  his  crew  so  nearly  lost  their  lives. 
Let  the  crews  of  the  boats  take  their  cutlasses  and 
pistols  with  them,  so  as  to  be  prepared  in  the  event 
of  interference  from  the  brig's  crew,  and  make  all 
the  haste  you  can.  Tour  first  duty  is  to  save  the 
crew ;  your  next  to  save  the  ship,  if  possible.  The 
glass  is  rising,  so  there  will  be  no  wind ;  but  I 
shall  do  what  I  can  to  shorten  the  distance  between 
us  and  the  brig  yonder.  When  you  have  done  all  that 
is  possible  on  board  the  ship,  make  a  dash  for  the 
brig,  unless  you  see  the  recall  signal  flying." 

Three  minutes  later  the  two  cutters  were  darting 
swiftly  away  over  the  long,  glossy  undulations  of 
the  ground-swell  toward  the  great  cloud  of  smoke 
on  the  horizon  Avhich  served  as  a  beacon  for  us ; 
the  men  pulling  a  long,  steady  stroke,  which,  whilst 
it  sent  the  boats  through  the  water  at  a  very  fair 
pace,  could  be  maintained  for  three  or  four  hours  at 
least. 

We  were  scarcely  a  mile  away  from  the  Daphne 
when  she  had  the  rest  of  her  boats  in  the  water  and 
ahead   of    her  towing,  whilst,  dangling   from  the 


AN    AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  371 

yard-arms  aloft,  could  be  seen  hammocks  and  bags 
of  sliot  suspended  there  to  assist — by  the  swinging 
motion  imparted  to  them  by  the  rise  and  fall  of  the 
vessel  over  the  swell — the  ship's  progress  through 
the  water.  The  brig  was  hull  down  to  us ;  but  from 
the  steadiness  with  which  her  head  was  kept  point- 
ing to  the  westward  I  conjectured  that  she  was  either 
sweeping  or  being  towed  by  her  boats. 

The  sun  set  in  a  perfectly  clear  and  cloudless  sky, 
just  as  Ave  had  brought  the  ship  hull-up  ;  but  by  that 
time  she  was  a  mass  of  flame  fore  and  aft,  and  I 
began  to  fear  that  we  should  be  too  late  to  save  her 
crew  or  to  do  any  good  whatever  on  board  her. 
"We  kept  steadily  on,  however,  and  reached  her  half 
an  hour  later. 

The  three  masts  went  over  the  side  when  we  were 
within  a  cable's  length  of  the  burning  ship,  and  on 
arriving  within  fifty  feet  of  her  we  found  it  impos- 
sible to  approach  any  nearer,  owing  to  the  intense 
heat.  It  was  manifestly  impossible  that  any  living 
thing  could  be  in  the  midst  of  that  fiercely  flaming 
furnace,  so  we  were  compelled  to  content  ourselves 
with  merely  ascertaining  the  name  of  the  unfortunate 
craft,  which  with  considerable  difficulty  we  at  length 
made  out  to  be  the  Highland  Chieftain^  of  Glasgow, 
after  which  we  left  her. 

On  pulling  out  clear  of  the  smoke  and  glare  of  the 
flames  once  more  we  found  ourselves  to  be  about  six 
miles  distant  from  the  brig,  a  distance  of  about 
eleven  miles  intervening  between  us  and  the  Daphne. 
Night   had   by   this  time  closed    completely   down 


372  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

upon  us ;  the  deep,  clear,  violet  sky  above  us  was 
thickly  powdered  with  stars,  which  were  waveringly 
reflected  in  the  deep  indigo  of  the  water  beneath,  and 
a'way  to  the  eastward  the  broad  disk  of  the  full  moon 
was  just  rising  clear  of  the  horizon  and  casting  a 
long  rippling  wake  of  golden  light  from  the  ocean's 
rim  clear  down  to  us. 

Our  first  glance  was  of  course  in  the  direction  of 
the  Daphne.  Her  towering  spread  of  canvas  alter- 
nately appeared  and  vanished  as  the  enormous  idly 
flapping  sails  caught  and  lost  again,  with  the  heave 
of  the  vessel,  the  glint  of  the  golden  moonbeams ; 
but,  save  this,  all  was  dark  and  still  on  board  her ; 
no  lanterns  flashed  in  her  rigging  as  a  recall  signal, 
so  I  exultingly  gave  the  order  for  the  boats  to  be 
headed  straight  for  the  brig,  determined  to  win  her 
if  dash  and  courage  could  do  it. 

"  Pull  steadily,  lads,"  I  cautioned,  as  the  two  crews 
bent  their  backs,  and  with  a  ringing  cheer  started 
the  boats  in  racing  style ;  "  no  racing  now,  we  cannot 
afford  the  strength  for  it,  all  you  have  will  be  wanted 
when  we  get  alongside  the  chase ;  she  is  doubtless 
well  manned  with  a  determined  crew  who  will 
not  give  in  without  a  tough  struggle,  so  husband 
your  strength  as  much  as  possible.  Mr.  Peters,"  to 
the  midshipman  in  charge  of  the  second  cutter, 
"  drop  in  my  wake,  sir,  if  you  please,  and  see  that 
your  men  do  not  overtask  themselves." 

The  men  obediently  eased  down  at  once,  and  we 
jogged  steadily  along  at  apace  of  about  four  knots  an 
hour ;  but  their  eagerness  soon  got  the  better  of  them, 


AN    AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  373 

the  pace  gradually  increased,  and  I  had  to  constantly 
check  them,  or  we  should  soon  have  been  tearing 
away  as  fiercely  as  ever. 

This  state  of  things  lasted  for  about  half  an  hour, 
and  then  the  gleam  of  lanterns  suddenly  appeared 
in  the  Daphne's  rigging.  It  was  the  recall  signal, 
and  the  men  gave  audible  vent  to  their  feeling  of 
disappointment  in  an  involuntary  groan. 

"  Never  mind,  men,"  I  said ;  "  I  have  no  doubt 
Captain  Vernon  has  some  good  reason  for  it.  An- 
swer the  signal,  coxswain.  Ah !  I  told  you  so ;  the 
sloop  has  a  little  breeze,  and  here  it  comes  creeping 
up  astern  of  us.  Step  the  mast,  take  the  covers  off 
the  sails,  and  get  the  canvas  on  the  boats.  Do  you 
see  that  bright  red  star  close  to  the  horizon,  cox- 
swain ?  Starboard  a  bit.  So,  steady,  now  you  have 
it  fair  over  the  boat's  stem.  Steer  for  it,  and  we  shall 
just  drop  alongside  the  sloop  nicely,  without  trou- 
bling her  to  wait  for  us." 

The  breeze  soon  reached  us,  toying  coyly  with  the 
boat's  canvas  at  first,  but  gradually  bellying  out  the 
sails  until  at  last  they  "  went  to  sleep."  The  breeze 
was,  after  all,  merely  the  gentlest  of  zephyrs,  only 
just  sufficient  to  give  a  ship  steerage-way  ;  but  very 
fortunately  for  us,  the  boats  were  provided,  by  a 
whim  of  poor  Austin's,  with  a  suit  each  of  enormous 
lateen  sails  made  of  light  duck,  with  yards  of  such 
a  length  that  they  had  tobe  jointed  in  the  middle  to 
enable  them  to  be  stoAved  in  the  boats ;  they  were 
just  the  thing  for  light  airs,  and  under  their  persua- 
sive influence  we  were  soon  gliding  smoothly  through 


374  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

the  scarcely  ruffled  water  quite  as  fast  as  the  men 
could  have  propelled  us  with  the  oars.  An  hour 
later  we  slid  handsomely  up  alongside  the  sloop, 
which  by  this  time  was  slipping  along  at  the  rate  of 
about  five  knots  under  studding-sails  and  everything 
else  that  would  hold  a  breath  of  wind,  and  the  boats 
were  hoisted  in  without  any  interruption  to  the  ship's 
progress. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Hawkesley,  what  news  from  the  burn- 
ing ship  ?  "  exclaimed  the  skipper  as  I  stepped  up  to 
him  to  make  my  report. 

I  explained  to  him  the  state  in  which  we  had 
found  the  vessel  when  we  reached  her,  and  gave  him 
her  name. 

"  Ah !  "  he  remarked.  "  Well,  it  is  a  bad  job,  a 
very  bad  business  altogether,  I  can  only  hope  we 
may  find  the  crew  uninjured  on  board  the  brig  when 
we  catch  her ;  but  I  think  it  is  rather  doubtful. 
Kow  run  away  down  into  my  cabin  and  tell  Baines 
to  give  you  some  dinner,  I  expect  everything  will 
be  cleared  away  in  the  ward-room  by  this." 

On  descending  to  the  cabin  I  found  that  the  skipper 
had  been  considerate  enough  to  give  orders  that  a 
nice  little  dinner  should  be  ready  for  me  on  my  re- 
turn, and  those  orders  having  been  carried  out  to  the 
letter  I  was  enabled  to  sit  down  in  peace  and  enjoy 
the  meal  for  which  the  long  pull  in  the  boats  had 
given  me  a  most  voracious  appetite.  The  meal  over, 
it  being  then  my  watch  below,  I  turned  in. 

On  relieving  Mr.  Armitage  at  midnight,  I  found 
that  the  weather  was  still  fine,  the  wind  the  merest 


AN    AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  375 

shade  fresher  than  it  had  been  when  I  left  the  deck, 
and  the  chase  directly  ahead,  about  twelve  miles 
distant,  her  upper  canvas  showing  distinctly  in  the 
brilliant  rays  of  the  moon. 

We  had  gained  upon  her  about  a  couple  of  miles 
during  the  four  hours  I  had  been  below,  and  Captain 
Yernon — who  had  been  on  deck  during  the  whole 
of  the  previous  watch,  and  was  just  about  to  retire 
for  the  night — was  in  high  spirits,  and  confident  in 
his  belief  that,  if  all  went  well,  we  should  make  the 
capture  before  sunset  on  the  following  day.  The 
best  helmsman  in  mj^  watch  was  ordered  to  the  wheel. 
I  made  a  regular  tour  of  the  decks,  taking  an  extra 
pull  at  a  halliard  here,  easing  off  an  inch  or  so  of 
this  brace  or  that  sheet,  and,  in  short,  doing  every- 
thing possible  to  increase  the  speed  of  the  ship,  and 
so  my  watch  passed  away  ;  the  Daphne  having  crept 
another  couple  of  miles  nearer  to  the  chase  duriug 
the  interval. 

Thus  matters  went  on  until  noon  of  the  following 
day,  when  the  wind  once  more  showed  symptoms  of 
failing,  whilst  the  sky  became  overcast,  threatening 
a  change  of  weather.  We  had  by  this  time  shortened 
the  distance  between  ourselves  and  the  chase  until 
a  space  of  only  some  seven  miles  or  so  separated  us, 
and  everybody  on  board,  fore  and  aft,  was  in  a  fever 
of  impatience  to  get  alongside  the  brig,  which  our 
glasses  had  already  assured  us  was  none  other  than 
the  notorious  Black  Ve7ius.  She  had  already  proved 
herself  so  slippery  a  customer  that  an  almost  super- 
stitious feeling  had  sprung  up  in  our  breasts  with  re- 


376  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

gard  to  her ;  we  felt  that  however  closely  we  might 
succeed  in  approaching  her,  however  helplessly  she 
might  seem  to  be  in  our  power,  there  could  be  no 
dependence  whatever  upon  appearances,  and  that 
until  we  had  absolutely  succeeded  in  placing  a  prize 
crew  upon  her  decks,  and  her  own  crew  in  irons,  we 
could  not  feel  by  any  means  certain  that  she  was 
ours.  Hence  the  extraordinary  feeling  of  excite- 
ment and  impatience  which  prevailed  on  board  the 
Daphne  on  that  memorable  afternoon. 

About  two  o'clock  the  wind  changed,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  take  in  the  studding  sail  on  the  port  side 
and  get  a  pull  upon  the  port  braces.  Meanwhile  a 
heavy  bank  of  clouds  had  gathered  in  the  south- 
western quarter,  and  was  gradually  working  up 
againt  the  wind,  until  by  three  o'clock  p.  m.  the  sun 
was  obscured  and  the  entire  heavens  blotted  out  by 
the  huge,  murky  mass  of  seething  vapor.  It  was 
my  watch  below,  but,  like  everybody  else,  I  was  too 
much  excited  to  remain  anywhere  but  on  deck,  and, 
to  confess  the  truth,  I  did  not  half  like  the  appear- 
ance of  things  in  general.  According  to  my  notions, 
we  were  about  to  experience  one  of  those  sudden 
and  violent  atmospheric  changes  which  are  so  fre- 
quently met  with  in  the  tropics  ;  yet  there  was  the 
ship  with  a  whole  cloud  of  studding  sails  set  on  the 
starboard  side,  as  well  as  every  other  rag  of  canvas 
that  could  be  coaxed  to  do  an  ounce  of  Avork.  "  If," 
thought  I,  "  my  knowledge  of  weather  is  worth  any- 
thing, all  hands  of  us  will  be  pretty  busy  before 
long,  and   we  shall  be  lucky,  indeed,  if  we  do  not 


AN    AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  377 

lose  some  of  our  spars  as  well  as  an  acre  or  two  of 
those  flying-kites  up  aloft  there."  I  even  forgot  my- 
self so  far  as  to  gently  insinuate  such  a  possibility 
to  Mr.  Armitage,  but  I  was  so  sliarply  snubbed  for 
my  pains  that  I  determined  to  interfere  no  further 
whilst  off  duty,  but  to  keep  my  eyes  open  and  be 
ready  to  lend  a  hand  whenever  and  wherever  re- 
quired. 

Captain  Yernon  was,  of  course,  on  deck,  and  from 
the  anxious  way  in  which  he,  from  time  to  time, 
glanced,  first  at  the  portentous  sky  overhead,  next 
at  the  chase,  and  finally  at  our  immense  spread  of 
canvas,  I  felt  sure  that  he,  to  some  extent,  shared 
my  apprehensions. 

At  length,  after  a  more  than  usually  anxious 
glance  round  he  went  to  the  skylight  and  took  a 
peep,  apparently  at  the  barometer.  I  was  watching 
him,  and  I  saw  him  start  and  take  another  keen 
look  at  it.  Then  he  suddenly  dived  down  the  com- 
panion way  into  the  cabin  to  make  a  closer  inspec- 
tion of  it,  as  I  conjectured.  My  curiosity  was 
aroused,  and  I  was  walking  aft  to  take  a  look  at  the 
instrument  through  the  skylight  on  my  own  account, 
when  the  canvas  suddenly  flapped,  and  the  next  sec- 
ond, without  further  warning  of  any  description,  a 
perfect  tornado  burst  upon  us. 

The  ship  was  taken  flat  aback,  and  over  she  went, 
bowing  helplessly  before  the  irresistible  strength  of 
the  hurricane.  I  thought  I  heard  Armitage's  voice 
shouting  an  order  of  some  kind,  but  if  such  was  the 
case,  it  was  impossible   to   distinguish   the   words 


378  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

through  the  deafening  rush  of  the  wind,  which  com- 
pletely swallowed  up  all  other  sounds.  As  I  felt  the 
deck  rapidly  heeling  under  my  feet,  I  made  a  des- 
perate scrambling  spring  for  the  nearest  port  on  the 
weather  side,  for  I  somehow  seemed  to  realize  in- 
stinctively that  the  Daphne's  brief  career  was  ended 
— that  she  would  never  again  recover  herself,  but 
would  "  turn  the  turtle  "  altogether.  The  ominous 
words  of  the  riggers  on  that  day  when,  in  the  first 
flush  of  my  new-born  dignity,  I  went  down  to  in- 
spect the  craft  which  was  to  be  my  future  home, 
recurred  to  my  mind  as  vividly  as  though  they  had 
that  moment  been  spoken,  and  I  felt  that  the  proph- 
ecy lurking  behind  them  was  then  in  the  very  act 
of  fulfilment.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  reach  and 
grasp  one  of  the  gun-tackles,  and,  drawing  myself 
up  to  windward  by  its  aid,  I  passed  out  through  the 
open  port  onto  the  upturned  weather  side  of  the 
ship,  where  I  paused  for  a  moment  to  glance  behind, 
or,  rather,  beneath  me.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
sight  which  then  met  my  gaze.  The  ship  was  lying 
over  on  her  beam  ends,  with  her  lower  yard-arms 
deeply  buried  in  the  sea.  The  whole  of  the  lee  side 
of  the  deck  was  submerged  ;  the  water  was  pouring 
in  tons  down  the  open  hatchways,  the  lee  coambings 
of  which  were  already  under  water,  and  the  watch 
below  could  be  seen  ineffectually  endeavoring  to 
make  their  way  up  on  deck  through  these  openings, 
the  rush  of  water  down  which  irresistibly  drove 
them  back  again  at  each  attempt.  As  for  the  watch 
on  deck,  they  were  already  either  swimming  about 


AN   AWFUL   CATASTROPHE.  379 

in  the  sea  to  leeward  or  clinging  convulsively  to  the 
ris-ffing-,  where  a  few  had  instinctivelv  betaken  them- 
selves  when  the  ship  first  went  over.  But  I  liad  time 
only  for  a  momentary  glance ;  the  sloop  had  hung 
stationary  in  this  position  for  just  the  barest  per- 
ceptible space  of  time ;  then,  with  a  sudden  jar,  she 
began  to  settle  once  more,  and  I  had  time  only  to 
scramble  breathlessly  along  her  wet  and  slippery 
sides  and  on  to  her  bilge,  when  she  rolled  fairly  over 
and  floated,  keel  upward.  And  as  she  did  so,  a  hid- 
eous shriek  rang  out  from  her  interior  and  became 
audible,  even  above  the  awful  rush  of  the  gale. 


380  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

AN  ABDUCTION  AND  AN  IMPOKTANT  CAPTUEE. 

For  a  few  moments  I  felt  bewildered — stunned 
— by  the  awful  suddenness  of  this  frightful  catas- 
trophe ;  the  piercing  shrieks  of  despair,  too,  which 
continued  to  issue  from  the  interior  of  the  vessel, 
unmanned  me,  and  I  crouched  there  upon  the  up- 
turned bottom  of  the  fabric  like  one  in  a  dream.  I 
felt  that  it  'was  a  dream  ;  the  disaster  was  too  com- 
plete and  too  unexpected  to  be  real,  and  I  waited 
there,  frozen  with  horror,  anxiously  looking  for  the 
moment  when  I  should  awake  and  be  released  from 
the  dreadful  nightmare. 

But  the  sight  of  some  half-a-dozen  men  battling 
for  their  lives  in  the  water  to  leeward  of  the  hull, 
and  vainly  struggling  to  reach  the  maintopgallant- 
mast — which  had  gone  at  the  first  stroke  of  the 
hurricane,  and  having  somehow  broken  adrift  from 
the  topmasthead  now  lay  floating,  with  all  attached, 
a  few  37'ards  away — brought  my  senses  back  to  me, 
and  abandoning  my  precarious  refuge  I  sprang  into 
the  sea  and  assisted  the  men,  one  after  the  other, 
to  reach  the  floating  spars.  As  I  looked  round  me, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  discovering  further  survivors,  a 


AN    IMPORTANT    CAPTURE.  38 I 

few  more  spars  flouted  up  to  the  surface — a  spare 
topmast,  a  studding-sailboom  or  two,  the  foretop- 
gallant-mast,  with  royal-mast,  yards,  and  sails  at- 
tached ;  and  finally  a  hen-coop  with  seven  or  eight 
drowned  fowls  in  it.  All  these  I  at  once  took  meas- 
ures to  secure,  knowing  that  our  only  hope  of  ulti- 
mate escape — and  a  very  frail  and  slender  hope  it 
then  appeared — rested  upon  the  possibility  of  our 
being  able  to  construct  a  raft  with  them.  In  this 
attempt  we  were  fortunately  successful,  and  sunset 
found  us  established  on  a  small  but  fairly  substantial 
and  well-constructed  raft. 

"We  mustered  seven  hands  all  told,  six  seamen  and 
mjself—seveii  only  out  of  our  entire  creio  !  And  so 
far  we  were  safe.  But  as  I  looked,  first  at  the  frail 
structure  which  supported  us,  and  then  at  the  bound- 
less waste  of  angry  sea  by  which  we  were  environed, 
and  upon  which  we  were  helplessly  tossed  to  and 
fro,  I  thought  in  my  haste  that  it  would  have  been 
better  after  all  if  we  had  shared  the  fate  of  our  com- 
rades, now  at  rest  in  their  ocean  grave  and  bej^ond 
the  reach  of  those  sufferings  which  seemed  only  too 
surely  to  await  us.  Then  better  thoughts  came  to 
me.  I  reflected  that  whilst  there  was  life  there  was 
hope,  and  that  the  Hand  which  had  been  outstretched 
to  preserve  us  whilst  others  had  been  allowed  to  per- 
ish, was  also  able  to  save  us  to  the  uttermost,  if  such 
should  be  the  Divine  will.  And  was  it  not  our  duty  to 
submit  to  that  Will  ?  to  endure  patiently  Avhatever 
might  be  in  store  for  us  ?  Assuredly  it  was ;  and  I 
humbly  bowed  my  head  in  silent  thanksgiving  and 


382  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

prayer — thanksgiving  for  my  preservation  so  far, 
and  prayer  that  I  might  be  given  strength  and  pa- 
tience to  endure  whatever  privation  or  suffering 
mig-ht  come  to  me  in  the  future. 

Whilst  constructing  the  raft  we  had  been  too  busy 
to  note  more  than  the  bare  fact  that  we  were  being 
gradually  but  perceptibly  swept  away  from  the  cap- 
sized hull  of  the  unfortunate  DapJine  •  but  when  our 
work  was  at  length  completed  and  we  had  a  moment 
to  look  around  us,  our  first  glances  were  directed  to 
windward  in  search  of  the  wreck.  She  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen,  and  we  had  no  doubt  that,  whilst  we  had 
been  so  busily  employed,  the  wreck  had  gradually 
settled  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  water  until  she 
had  gone  down  altogether. 

Most  fortunately — or  most  providentially  I  ought 
rather  to  say — for  us,  the  tornado  had  been  as  brief 
in  its  duration  as  it  had  been  disastrous  in  its  effects, 
otherwise  we  could  never  have  hoped  to  survive. 
In  little  more  than  ten  minutes  from  the  capsizing 
of  the  sloop  the  strength  of  the  hurricane  was  spent, 
and  the  wind  dropped  to  a  fresh  working  breeze. 
Of  this  circumstance  the  Black  Venus  promptly 
availed  herself — her  crew  having  undoubtedly  ob- 
served the  disaster — by  bearing  up  and  standing  to 
the  eastward  under  every  inch  of  canvas  she  could 
spread.  Our  first  impression  on  witnessing  this 
maneuver  was  that,  animated  by  some  lingering 
spark  of  humanity  in  their  breasts,  her  people  were 
returning  in  quest  of  possible  survivors ;  but  this  hope 
was  speedily  extinguished  by  the  sight  of  the  brig 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE.       383 

sweeping  to  leeward  and  passing  us  at  a  distance  of 
about  half  a  mile,  with  her  crew  busily  engaged  in 
the  operation  of  crowding  sail  upon  their  vessel. 
We  stood  up  and  waved  to  her  as  she  passed,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  whatever  that  we  were  seen ;  but  no 
notice  was  taken  of  us,  and  she  soon  swept  out  of 
sight  to  leeward.  I  hardly  expected  any  other  result, 
and  was  consequently  by  no  means  discouraged  at 
this  fresh  instance  of  inhumanity  ;  indeed,  had  they 
taken  it  into  their  heads  to  rescue  us,  it  is  probable 
that  our  lot  among  them  would  have  been  little  if 
any  better  than  it  was  out  there  on  the  open  ocean, 
drifting  about  upon  our  tiny  raft. 

When  night  fell  we  had  had  sufficient  time  to  fully 
realize  the  peril  and  hopelessness  of  our  position  ; 
and  I  think  most  of  us  fully  made  up  our  minds  that 
we  were  destined  to  a  lingering  death  from  starva- 
tion, unless,  indeed,  the  end  should  happen  to  be 
precipitated  by  the  springing  up  of  another  gale  or 
some  equally  fell  disaster. 

But  our  gloomy  anticipations  were  destined  to  be 
speedily  and  pleasantly  dissipated,  for  at  dawn  on 
the  following  morning  we  were  agreeably  surprised 
by  the  sight  of  a  sail  in  the  northern  quarter — the 
craft  evidently  heading  directly  for  us.  The  wind 
was  blowing  from  the  westward  at  the  time,  a  five- 
knot  breeze  ;  the  weather  was  clear  and  the  sea  had 
gone  down,  leaving  nothing  but  the  swell  from  the 
blow  of  the  preceding  day.  We  accordingly  set  to 
work  and  unhesitatingly  cut  adrift  one  of  the  smaller 
spars  of  which  our  raft  was  constructed,  and,  hastily 


384  THE   CONGO    ROVERS. 

securing  the  crazy  fabric  afresh,  reared  the  spar  on 
end,  with  my  shirt — the  only  white  one  among  us — 
lashed  to  its  upper  extremity  as  a  signal. 

The  hour  which  followed  was  one  of  most  agonizing 
suspense.  Would  she  or  would  she  not  alter  her 
course  before  observing  our  signal  ?  The  helmsman 
was  not  steering  quite  as  steadily  as  he  might  have 
done,  and  our  hearts  went  into  our  mouths  and  a  cry 
of  anguish  involuntarily  escaped  our  lips  every  time 
the  stranger  showed  a  tendency  to  luff  to  windward 
or  fall  off  to  leeward  of  her  course.  At  length, 
however,  our  apprehensions  were  set  at  rest ;  for 
just  as  her  hull  was  rising  above  our  limited  horizon 
we  saw  a  sudden  flash  from  her  side,  followed  by  a  puff 
of  white  smoke,  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  sharp 
ringing  report  of  a  gun  came  wafted  down  to  us. 
Then  her  topgallant-sails  and  royals  fluttered  a 
moment  in  the  cool  morning  breeze  as  they  were 
rapidly  sheeted  home  and  mast-headed  ;  and  half  an 
hour  later  the  Virginia — yes,  there  could  be  no  doubt 
about  it,  it  was  our  latest  prize ;  and  there,  abaft 
the  main-rigging,  stood  the  well-known  figure  of 
Smellie  himself — the  Virginia  hove  to  close  to  wind- 
ward of  us,  a  boat  was  lowered,  and  we  soon  found 
ourselves  standing  safe  and  sound  on  the  brig's  deck, 
the  cynosure  of  all  eyes  and  the  somewhat  bewildered 
recipients  of  our  former  comrades'  eager  questions. 
As  for  Smellie,  with  the  considerate  kindness 
which  was  always  one  of  his  most  prominent  char- 
acteristics, he  first  gave  orders  that  the  half-a-dozen 
hands  rescued  with  me  should  receive  every  atten- 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  385 

tion,  and  then  carried  me  off  to  his  own  cabin  and 
rigged  me  in  a  jury  suit  of  his  own  clothes — which, 
by  the  way,  were  several  sizes  too  big  for  me — 
whilst  my  own  togs  were  drying  ;  and  then,  giving 
orders  for  breakfast  to  be  served  in  the  cabin  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment,  he  sat  down  and  listened 
to  my  story. 

His  distress  at  the  loss  of  so  many  friends  was 
keen  and  sincere,  but  it  did  not  for  a  moment  ob- 
scure his  sound  common  sense.  A  few  minutes 
sufficed  me  to  give  him  a  hasty  outline  of  the  dis- 
aster and  to  make  him  acquainted  with  tlie  direction 
of  our  drift  during  the  night ;  the  which  he  had  no 
sooner  ascertained  than  he  altered  the  brig's  course 
as  much  as  was  necessary  to  take  her  over  the  scene 
of  the  catastrophe,  at  the  same  time  sending  three 
hands  aloft  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  wreckage 
or  any  other  indications  that  we  w^ere  nearing  the 
spot,  and  especially  for  possible  survivors. 

Half  an  hour  later  we  passed  a  grating,  then  a 
spare  studding-sail  boom,  then  a  couple  of  hen-coops 
close  together  ;  after  W' hich  fragments  of  wreckage 
became  increasingly  frequent  until  we  reached  a 
spot  where  one  of  the  Daphne's  boats  was  found 
floating  with  her  stern  torn  out  of  her  ;  several  hatch- 
covers,  the  mizzen  topgallant-mast  and  sail,  three 
dead  sheep,  a  washdeck  tub,  and  other  relics  being 
in  compan}'' ;  after  which  the  wreckage  suddenly 
ceased.  "We  had  evidently  passed  over  the  spot 
where  the  Daphne  had  gone  down.  And  the  brig 
was  immediately  hove  to  and  all  the  boats  despatched 
2$ 


386  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

upon  a  search  expedition — unhappily  a  vain  one,  for 
not  a  sign  of  another  survivor  could  be  found,  nor 
even  a  dead  body  to  which  we  could  give  decent  and 
Christian  burial. 

This  melancholy  fact  at  length  indubitably  estab- 
lished, Smellie  gave  the  order  to  make  sail,  shaping 
a  course  for  the  Congo,  whither  we  felt  sure  the 
Black  Venus  had  made  the  best  of  her  way. 

Crowding  sail  upon  the  Virginia  we  made  the 
passage  to  the  river's  mouth  in  a  trifle  over  five 
days,  during  the  last  three  of  which  the  wind  was 
light  and  variable  with  us,  anchoring  in  Banana 
Creek  at  two  p.  m.  on  the  fifth  day  from  that  on 
which  Ave  had  been  picked  up.  The  Virginia  hav- 
ing succeeded  in  completing  her  complement  of 
oflticers  and  men  at  Sierra  Leone,  the  half-dozen 
picked  up  with  me  had  been  acting  as  supernumeraries 
on  board,  whilst  I  had  simply  been  Smellie's  guest. 
I  was  very  much  gratified,  therefore,  when  he  in- 
vited me  to  go  with  him  in  the  boat  on  a  search  ex- 
pedition to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  whereabouts  of 
the  redoubtable  Blach  Venus. 

We  started  in  the  gig  that  same  afternoon  as  soon 
as  the  ship  was  moored,  Smellie  being  of  opinion 
that  we  should  find  the  object  of  our  quest  snugly 
moored  within  the  creek  below  Don  Manuel's  house, 
where  we  had  seen  her  on  the  eventful  evening 
when  we  captured  the  Josef  a  ;  and  this  creek  being 
situate  at  some  distance  up  the  river,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  we  should  make  an  early  start  in  order  to  be 
back  on  board  before  the  rising  of  the  evening  mists. 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  387 

"We  reached  the  creek  in  due  course  without  ad- 
venture, and  began  cautiously  to  ascend  it.  Mile 
after  mile  we  made  our  way,  landing  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  every  reach  and  carefully  reconnoitering  the 
succeeding  one  before  entering  it  with  the  boat ; 
but  our  search  was  in  vain — we  arrived  at  the  head 
of  the  creek  without  finding  a  single  trace  of  the 
brig,  or  indeed  of  any  other  vessel. 

Being  there,  it  was  only  natural  that  Smellie  and 
I  should  feel  a  strong  desire  to  see  once  more  the 
kind  host  and  gentle  hostess  who  had  so  generously 
nursed  and  entertained  us  in  the  time  of  our  sore 
need.  Leaving  the  boat  at  the  head  of  the  creek, 
therefore,  in  charge  of  the  coxswain,  with  instruc- 
tions to  the  latter  to  fire  a  couple  of  muskets  in 
rapid  succession  should  our  presence  be  required,  or, 
in  the  event  of  that  being  inadvisable,  to  make  the 
best  of  his  way  along  the  footpath  and  up  to  the 
house,  we  set  out — the  bright  flush  on  Smellie's 
bronzed  cheek,  the  joyous  sparkle  in  his  eyes,  and 
the  eager  spring  in  his  elastic  footstep  betraying 
plainly  enough  the  pleasurable  anticipations  which 
occupied  his  mind. 

Traversing  the  path  with  rapid  footsteps  we  soon 
reached  the  palisading  which  enclosed  the  garden, 
passed  through  the  gate,  and  found  ourselves  in  sight 
of  the  house.  There  it  stood  just  as  we  had  last  seen 
it,  door  and  windows  wide  open,  the  muslin  curtains 
at  the  windows  waving  idly  in  the  fitful  breeze,  and 
the  bamboo  lounging-chairs — one  of  them  overturned 
— under  the  verandah. 


388  THE   CONGO   ROVERS. 

We  stepped  briskly  out,  warm  work  though  we 
had  found  it  breasting  the  hill,  and  passed  up  the 
main  avenue  leading  to  the  front  door — Smellie 
keeping  his  eyes  intently  fixed  upon  the  said  front 
door,  doubtless  in  the  hope  of  seeing  Doiia  Antonia 
emerge,  and  of  enjoying  her  first  glance  of  surprise 
and  delight.  I  of  course  had  no  such  inducement  to 
look  straight  ahead,  and  my  glances  therefore  "wan- 
dered carelessly  here  and  there  to  the  right  and  left, 
noting  the  exquisite  shapes  and  colors  of  the 
flowers  and  fruit  and  the  luxuriant  foliage  and  de- 
lightful shade  of  the  trees. 

Whilst  thus  engaged  my  wandering  thoughts  Avere 
suddenly  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  several  large 
and  heavy  footprints  in  the  sandy  soil  of  the  foot- 
path ;  and  whilst  I  was  still  idly  wondering  what 
visitors  Don  Manuel  could  have  so  recently  had  and 
from  whence  they  could  possibly  have  come,  my  eye 
lighted  upon  a  single  drop  of  blood,  then  another, 
then  quite  a  little  line  of  blood-drops.  They  w^ere, 
however,  only  such  as  would  result  from  a  trifling 
cut  or  scratch  ;  so  I  said  nothing  about  it.  A  little 
further  on,  up  the  pathway,  a  tall  thorn}'-  shrub 
thrust  its  branches  somewhat  obtrusively  over  the 
border  of  the  path  ;  and  one  of  the  twigs — a  good 
stout  one — was  broken  and  hung  to  its  parent  branch 
by  a  scrap  of  bark  only.  Curiosity  prompted  me 
to  pause  for  a  moment  to  examine  the  twig  ;  and  I 
then  saw  that  one  of  the  thorns  was  similarly  broken, 
its  point  being  stained  with  blood  still  scarcely  dry. 
This  solved  the  riddle.     Some  one  passing  hastily 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  389 

had  evidently  been  caught  by  the  thorn  and  rather 
severely  scratched.  A  few  paces  further  on  a  shred 
of  white  muslin  hung  from  another  bush ;  and  I 
began  to  fear  that  Doiia  Antonia  had  been  the 
sufferer. 

Reaching  the  house  we  walked  unceremoniously 
in,  delighted  at  the  idea  of  the  surprise  we  should 
give  our  friends.  Proceeding  to  the  parlor,  or  usual 
sitting-room,  we  found  it  empty,  with,  to  our  great 
surprise,  the  table  and  one  or  two  chairs  capsized,  a 
torn  scarf  lying  on  the  floor,  and  other  evidences  of 
a  struggle  of  some  sort. 

The  sight  brought  us  abruptly  to  a  standstill  on 
the  threshold — Smellie  and  I  looking  at  each  other 
inquiringly,  as  though  each  would  ask  the  other 
what  could  be  the  meaning  of  it  all.  Then  with  a 
quick  stride  my  companion  passed  in  before  me, 
glanced  round  the  room,  and  uttered  a  low  exclama- 
tion of  horror.  I  at  once  followed,  glanced  in  the 
direction  indicated  by  Smellie's  outstretched  finger, 
and  there,  behind  the  door,  lay  the  body  of  poor 
Pedro,  face  downwards  on  the  floor,  a  little  pool  of 
coagulating  blood  being  just  visible  on  the  matting 
beneath  his  forehead.  Quickly  stooping  we  turned 
him  over  on  his  back.  He  w^as  quite  dead,  though 
not  yet  cold,  the  cause  of  death  being  clearly  indi- 
cated by  a  small  bullet-wound  fair  in  the  center  of 
his  forehead. 

My  thoughts  flew  back  in  an  instant  to  the  night 
on  which  Ave  last  stood  under  that  same  roof,  to  the 
attempted  abduction  of  Dona  Antonia  ;  and  the  con- 


390  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

viction  at  once  seized  upon  me  that  we  were 
now  looking  upon  another  piece  of  Senor  Madera's 
work. 

The  same  thought  evidently  struck  Smellie,  for 
he  turned  to  me  and  exclaimed  breathlessly : 

"  Dona  Antonia  ! — where  can  she  be  ?  " 

And  Avithout  waiting  for  an  answer  he  dashed 
into  the  passage  and  began  calling  loudly  : 

"  Antonia  !  Antonia  mia  !  where  are  you,  darling  ? 
It  is  I— Harold." 

Then,  receiving  no  answer,  he  shouted  alternately 
for  Don  Manuel  and  old  Madre  Dolores. 

This  time  he  was  more  successful,  for  as  he  paused 
for  breath,  we  heard  a  voice  far  down  the  garden- 
path  replying  in  Spanish,  "  Ilola  !  Ilola !  Who 
calls  for  me  so  loudly  ? " 

And  looking  in  that  direction  we  saw  Don  Manuel 
sauntering  up  the  path,  with  his  gun  thrown  care- 
lessly over  his  shoulder  and  a  well-filled  bag  of 
"  specimens  "  by  his  side. 

We  hastened  out  to  meet  him,  and  received  a  right 
joyous  and  hearty  greeting,  to  which  we  hastily 
responded ;  and  then  poor  Smellie  in  his  anxiety, 
blurted  out : 

"  And  where  is  Dona  Antonia  ?  " 

"  Is  she  not  in  the  house  ?  "  asked  Don  Manuel. 

"I  cannot  find  her  anywhere,"  replied  Smellie, 
"  and  I  greatly  fear — "  then  his  natural  caution 
returned  to  him  and  he  checked  himself.  "  By  the 
way,"  he  continued,  "have  you  seen  anything  of 
your  friend  Seiior  Madera  lately  ? " 


AN    IMPORTANT    CAPTURE.  391 

"  No,"  answered  Don  Manuel,  "  he  has  never  had 
the  assurance  to  appear  here  since  tlic  night  on  which 
he  made  his  audacious  attempt  to  abduct  my  daugh- 
ter ;  but  I  noticed  just  now  that  his  ship  is  in  the 
creek  below  there,  so  I  hastened  home,  deeming  it 
only  prudent  to  be  on  the  spot  whilst  he  favors  us 
with  his  unwelcome  proximity." 

"  His  ship  in  the  creek  !  "  exclaimed  Smellie,  in- 
credulously. "  Then  she  must  have  arrived  within 
the  last  half-hour,  for  it  is  barely  that  since  we 
passed  from  the  mouth  to  the  head  of  the  creek, 
and  no  ship  was  in  it  then." 

A  little  cross-questioning,  however,  elicited  the 
fact  that  there  were  two  creeks  near  Don  Manuel's 
house ;  we  had  explored  the  western  creek,  and  it 
was  the  other  which  at  that  moment  sheltered  Senor 
Madera's  ship. 

Smellie  then,  with  infinite  tact  and  patience,  grad- 
ually broke  to  the  poor  old  gentleman  the  news  of 
the  tragedy  which  had  been  enacted  in  the  house 
during  its  owner's  brief  absence,  together  with 
our  fears  as  to  the  fate  which  had  befallen  Dona 
Antonia. 

The  poor  old  fellow  was  at  first  most  frightfully 
agitated,  as  of  course  might  reasonably  have  been 
expected  ;  indeed,  in  the  first  paroxysm  of  his  grief 
and  rage  I  almost  feared  he  would  lose  his  senses 
altogether.  But  Smellie's  gentle  firmness  and  sound 
reasoning  soon  brought  him  to  a  calmer  frame  of 
mind,  and  then  we  instituted  a  thorough  but  fruit- 
less search  of  the  house. 


392  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

I  then  thought  it  time  to  mention  the  various 
little  signs  I  had  observed  on  the  garden-path,  and 
we  forthwith  directed  our  steps  to  the  several  spots, 
carefully  examining  the  ground,  foot  by  foot,  with 
the  result  that  we  were  soon  enabled  to  arrive  at 
something  like  a  definite  conclusion.  Our  examina- 
tion showed  that  at  least  half-a-dozen  men  had 
visited  the  house  probably  not  more  than  half  an 
hour  before  our  arrival ;  that  there  had  been  a 
struggle,  in  which  the  unfortunate  Pedro  had  lost 
his  life  ;  and  that  Dona  Antonia,  and  also  in  all 
probabilit}'^  poor  old  Madre  Dolores,  who  could 
nowhere  be  found,  had  been  forcibly  carried  off. 
Having  come  to  this  conclusion,  we  next  patiently 
tracked  the  footprints,  which  led  us  through  the 
wood  down  to  the  head  of  the  creek  referred  to  by 
Don  Manuel,  on  the  muddy  banks  of  which  we 
distinctly  traced  not  only  the  heavy  footprints  of 
the  abductors,  but  also  the  lighter  ones  of,  presum- 
ably, Doiia  Antonia  and  her  nurse,  as  well  as  the 
mark  of  the  boat's  keel  where  she  had  been  grounded. 
This  much  determined,  Don  Manuel  next  led  us  to  a 
spot  from  which  he  assured  us  that  Senor  Madera's 
vessel  could  be  seen ;  and  there,  sure  enough,  we 
saw  our  old  foe  the  Black  Yenus  snugly  moored  in 
the  creek. 

A  council  of  Avar  was  at  once  held  as  to  what 
should  be  our  next  proceeding.  It  was  manifestly 
impossible  to  attack  the  brig  there  and  then ;  our 
little  force  was  wholly  inadequate  to  the  capture  of 
the  vessel,  and  any  attempt  to  do  so  would  only 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE,  393 

have  resulted  in  putting  her  crew  upon  their  guard. 
Don  Manuel  informed  us  that,  from  his  knowledge 
of  the  creek,  he  was  certain  there  would  not  be  a 
sufficient  depth  of  water  over  the  sandbar  at  its 
mouth  to  allow  of  the  brig  sailing  before  high  water, 
which  would  be  at  about  half-past  six  o'clock  that 
evening ;  but  we  were  unanimousl}"  of  opinion  that, 
having  secured  his  prey,  Seiior  Madera  woidd  sail 
then.  As  to  what  might  happen  in  the  interim,  it 
would  not  bear  thinking  of  and  we  could  only  hope 
and  pray  for  the  best. 

Having  by  this  time  obtained  all  the  light  which 
it  was  possible  to  gain  on  the  matter,  we  prepared 
to  return  to  the  Yirginia,  Don  Manuel  eagerly  ac- 
cepting Smellie's  invitation  to  accompany  us.  But 
before  doing  this,  there  lay  before  us  the  melancholy 
task  of  burying  poor  Pedro's  body,  and  with  the  aid 
of  half  a  dozen  men  from  the  gig  this  was  accom- 
plished as  speedily  as  possible,  after  which  the 
house  was  shut  up,  and  we  hastened  down  to  the 
boat  and  made  the  best  of  our  way  back  to  our 
ship. 

Poor  Smellie  behaved  most  admirably  under  the 
very  trying  circumstances.  That  he  was  fearfully 
agitated  and  anxious,  I,  who  knew  him  so  well,  could 
easily  see  ;  but  with  a  determination  and  firmness  of 
will  which  I  heartily  envied  he  resolutely  put  aside 
all  other  considerations  and  devoted  all  his  energies 
to  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  what  it  would  be 
best  to  do.  TVe  were  a  silent  and  thoughtful  party 
as  we  wended  our  way  back  to  the  ship ;  but  once 


394  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

there,  the  skipper  promptly  led  the  way  to  his  cabin 
and  informed  Don  Manuel  and  me  that  he  had 
decided  upon  a  plan  of  action. 

It  was  exceedingly  simple.  He  was,  he  said,  more 
firmly  convinced  than  ever  that  the  Black  Venus 
would  sail  that  night.  The  weather  was  clear  and 
fine,  the  barometer  high  ;  and  we  might  therefore 
reckon  with  certainty  upon  the  springing  up  of  the 
land-breeze  shortly  after  sunset.  This  breeze  would 
be  a  fair  wind  out  of  the  river ;  but  so  long  as  it 
lasted  no  ship  could  re-enter  against  it  and  the  strong 
current.  Smellie's  plan,  therefore,  was  simply  to  go 
outside  as  soon  as  the  evening  mists  gathered  suffi- 
ciently to  conceal  our  movements,  and  there  await 
the  Black  Venus,  trusting  to  the  speed  of  the  Vi?'- 
ginia  and  our  own  maneuvering  to  enable  us  to  get 
promptly  alongside  her. 

The  plan  looked  very  promising,  and  it  was 
adopted.  The  messenger  was  at  once  passed,  and 
the  ship  hove  short  ;  after  which  we  awaited  with 
such  patience  as  we  coukl  muster  for  the  gathering 
of  the  mist.  At  length,  about  seven  p.  m.,  the 
anchor  was  tripped,  and  the  Virginia  glided  grace- 
fully out  of  the  creek  to  seaward,  under  topsails,  jib, 
and  boom  mainsail.  We  knew  almost  to  a  hair's- 
breadth  the  course  which  the  Black  Venus  must 
steer  for  the  first  seven  or  eight  miles  after  clearing 
Shark  Point,  and  Smellie  placed  us  right  across  this 
track,  jamming  the  vessel  close  upon  a  wind  and 
wearing  short  round  every  twenty  minutes ;  by 
which  plan  we  were  never  more  than  ten  minutes 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURP:.  395 

sail  from  the  line  over  which  we  expected  the  enemy 
to  pass. 

A  careful  calculation,  based  upon  our  knowledge 
of  the  Black  Yeiims  extraordinary  sailing  powers, 
showed  that  we  might  look  for  her  about  half-past 
nine  o'clock  ;  and  half  an  hour  previous  to  that  we 
began  to  make  our  preparations  for  according  to  her 
a  suitable  reception.  The  decks  •were  cleared  for 
action,  the  magazine  was  opened,  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion were  served  out  to  the  crew,  who  were  then  sent 
to  quarters  ;  the  guns  were  loaded,  each  with  a  round 
shot  and  a  charge  of  grape  on  the  top  of  it,  and  all 
the  canvas  was  loosed  and  made  ready  for  setting  at 
a  moment's  notice.  Then  all  the  sharpest  eyes  avail- 
able in  the  ship  were  set  upon  the  watch  for  our 
slippery  foe,  and  we  were  ready. 

The  night  mists  to  which  frequent  reference  has 
been  made  are,  it  ought  to  be  explained,  confined  to 
the  river  itself  ;  and  though  on  such  occasions  as 
that  of  which  we  are  now  treating  they  are  carried 
out  to  seaward  by  the  land-breeze  a  few  miles  beyond 
the  river's  mouth,  they  soon  get  dissipated  ;  so  that 
whilst  in  the  river  itself  the  fog  may  be  so  thick  as 
to  render  it  impossible  to  see  further  than  half  the 
ship's  length  ahead,  it  will  be  perfectly  clear  at  a 
distance  of  seven  or  eight  miles  outside.  It  was  just 
upon  the  outer  or  seaward  skirts  of  the  fog-bank  that 
we  had  taken  up  our  station,  and  were  hovering  to 
and  fro. 

The  Virginia  had  just  gone  round,  and  was  stretch- 
ing to  the  southward  upon  the  port  tack,  when,  from 


396  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

my  station  on  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  I  thought  I 
detected  a  sudden  thickening  of  the  haze  at  a  spot 
about  three  points  on  the  weather-bow.  Straining 
my  eyes  to  their  utmost,  I  gazed  intently  into  the 
darkness ;  the  appearance  became  more  pronounced, 
more  defined  every  second,  and  as  I  watched  it, 
assumed  the  form  of  an  irregularly-shaped  truncated 
pyramid. 

"  Sail  ho !  broad  on  the  weather-bow !  "  I  ex- 
claimed, joyously ;  and  in  a  moment,  half-a-dozen 
voices  exultingly  reiterated  the  cry  of,  "  Sail 
ho ! " 

Yes,  there  could  be  no  mistake  about  it ;  for  whilst 
the  words  were  still  upon  our  lips,  the  apparition 
grew  more  substantial,  assumed  the  misty  outline  of 
a  ship  in  full  sail,  and  finally  shot  out  from  among 
the  fog-w^reaths  clear  and  well  defined — a  brig  run- 
ning before  the  wind  under  studding  sails. 

I  hastened  aft  to  where  Smellie  stood  grasping 
the  main  top-mast  backstay,  and  was  greeted  by  him 
with  the  characteristic  remark  of : 

"  "What  a  fellow^  he  must  be,  and  what  nerve  he 
must  have !  Fancy  a  man  running  out  of  that  river 
and  through  the  fog  under  studding  sails."  Then, 
turning  to  the  helmsman,  he  said  : 

'■'■Now  we  have  him  fairly,  I  think.  Up  with  your 
helm,  my  man,  and  steer  for  his  jib-boom  end.  Mr. 
Costigan  " — to  the  first  lieutenant — "  make  sail,  if 
you  please." 

"  Oi,  oi,  sorr,"  answered  that  worthy  in  a  rich 
Hibernian  brogue.     "  Let  go  and  overhaul  the  fore 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  397 

and  main  clew-garnets  ;  board  the  fore  and  main 
tacks  and  aft  wid  the  sheets.  Fore  and  main  topmast- 
stay -sail  and  jib  halliards,  hoist  away.  Sheet  home 
and  set  the  fore  and  main  top-gallant  sails,  and  be 
smart  about  it.  Aisy  now,  there,  wid  that  main  tack ; 
don't  ye  see,  you  spalpeens,  that  the  ship  is  bearin' 
up  ?  Man  the  braces,  fore  and  aft ;  ease  up  to  lee- 
ward and  round  in  to  windward  as  the  ship  pays 
off.  Well  of  all,  belay,  and  coil  up.  Mishter 
Hawkeslay,  am  I  to  have  the  pleasure  of  showin' 
ye  the  wa}'"  on  board  the  hooker  yonder  ?  " 

"  Thanks,  no,  I  think  not,  Costigan,"  I  answered 
with  a  laugh.  "  I  propose  to  lend  my  valuable  aid 
to  the  after  division  of  the  boarders  ;  you  are  a  host 
in  yourself,  you  know,  and  can  manage  very  well 
without  me.  But  I  shall  keep  a  look-out  for  you  in 
the  waist  of  the  brig." 

"  Yery  well,  it's  there  I'll  mate  ye,  young  gintle- 
man,  or  my  name's  not  Denis  Costigan." 

And  away  hurried  the  impetuous  Irishman  to  place 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  forward  division  of 
boarders. 

The  brig  had  sighted  us  almost  as  quickly  as  we 
had  her,  and  she  made  one  or  two  attempts  to  dodge 
us.  But  it  was  of  no  use,  she  had  run  into  our  arms, 
as  it  were  ;  we  were  much  too  close  together  when 
the  vessels  became  visible  to  each  other  to  render 
anything  like  dodging  at  all  possible  ;  moreover 
Smellie,  standing  there  on  the  breach  of  one  of  the 
guns,  watched  the  chase  with  so  unwavering  an  eye 
and  met  any  deviation  on  her  part  so  promptly  with 


398  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

a  corresponding  swerve  on  the  part  of  the  Virginia^ 
that  Senor  Madera  soon  scornfully  gave  up  the 
attempt,  and  held  steadily  forward  upon  his  course. 

The  sister  brigs,  for  such  they  eventually  proved 
to  be,  now  running  on  almost  parallel  courses,  soon 
narrowed  the  space  between  them  to  a  bare  hundred 
feet,  the  Virginia,  however,  having  been  so  carefully 
steered  as  to  give  her  a  slight  lead.  This  seemed  to 
be  the  moment  for  which  Sefior  Madera  had  waited, 
for  he  now  suddenly  threw  open  his  ports,  and  with- 
out attempting  the  mockery  of  hoisting  an  ensign  of 
any  kind,  poured  into  us  the  whole  contents  of  his 
double  shotted  starboard  broadside,  aiming  high, 
however,  with  the  evident  hope  of  knocking  away 
some  of  our  more  important  spars.  Our  lower  can- 
vas was  immediately  riddled  and  a  few  unimportant 
ropes  were  cut ;  but  beyond  this  we  fortunately  sus- 
tained no  damage. 

By  way  of  reply  to  this,  Smellie,  without  removing 
his  eyes  from  the  chase,  waved  his  hand  gently  to  the 
helmsman  ;  the  wheel  was  put  a  half  a  dozen  spokes 
or  so  over  to  port,  and  the  Virginia  slewed  slightly 
more  toward  her  antagonist. 

"  Now,  steady  men,"  cautioned  the  skipper.  "  Do 
not  fire  until  I  give  the  word,  then  pour  your  broad- 
side in  upon  her  decks — not  a  shot  below  the  sheer- 
strake  for  your  lives."  I  well  knew  of  whom  he  was 
thinking  when  he  said  this  ;  Antonia  was  doubtless 
in  the  cabin,  and  it  was  her  safety  for  which  he  was 
thus  careful,  "  And  as  soon  you  have  fired  your 
broadside,"  he  continued,  "  draw  your  cutlasses  and 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  399 

stand  b}^  to  board.  Are  the  grappling-irons  all 
ready  ? " 

"  All  ready,  sir,"  came  the  reply  from  the  tars  who 
were  standing  by  to  throw  them,  and  then  there  en- 
sued a  few  breathless  moments  of  intense  silence. 

Gradually  the  two  brigs  neared  each  other,  until 
the  lap  and  swirl  of  the  water  along  our  antagonists' 
sides  could  be  distinctly  heard.  At  that  moment  a 
rattling  volley  of  small-arms  was  discharged  from  the 
Black  Ve7ius,  and  I  saw  Smellie  start  and  reel  on  his 
elevated  perch.  The  next  instant,  however,  he  had 
recovered  himself,  and  once  more  waving  to  the 
helmsman,  he  gave  the  word  : 

''Fire  !  " 

Prompt  at  the  command,  our  broadside  rattled  out, 
and  amid  the  crashing  of  timber  and  the  shrieks  of 
the  wounded  I  felt  the  jar  of  collision  between  the 
two  vessels. 

"  Heave  !  "  shouted  Smellie.  "  Boarders  away  !  " 
And  with  a  simultaneous  spring  fore  and  aft,  away 
we  went  over  the  bulwarks  and  down  on  to  the 
crowded  decks  of  the  Black  Venus. 

The  fight  was  short  but  stubborn.  Our  antagonists 
fought  with  the  desperate  bravery  of  men  who 
already  felt  the  halters  settling  round  their  necks  ;  but 
whoever  heard  of  British  tars  yielding  an  enemy's 
deck  when  once  their  feet  were  firmly  planted  upon  it  ? 
Besides,  almost  every  individual  man  among  us  felt 
that  we  had  a  long  score  of  disappointments  and 
floutings  to  wipe  out,  and  steadily  but  irresistibly 
we  drove  the  pirates  into  the  waist   of  their  ship 


400  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

where,  huddled  closely  together,  it  was  impossible 
for  them  to  use  their  arms  effectively.  Finally, 
Smellie  and  Madera,  after  several  unsuccessful  efforts 
to  get  at  each  other,  managed  to  cross  swords,  and 
after  a  few  rapid  passes  the  latter  fell,  run  through 
the  body  by  the  skipper.  In  the  very  act  of  falling 
however,  he  whipped  a  pistol  from  his  belt  and  aim- 
ing point  blank  at  the  skipper,  fired,  the  ball  passing 
through  Smellie's  lungs.  The  poor  fellow  turned 
blindly  and  with  the  blood  spurting  from  his  mouth 
reeled  into  my  arms. 

I  knew  very  little  of  the  fight  after  this,  for  sum- 
moning a  couple  of  men  I  at  once  proceeded  to  re- 
move the  skipper  on  board  his  own  vessel ;  but  be- 
fore we  had  got  him  fairly  down  on  deck  a  cheer 
from  our  lads  told  us  that  victory  had  once  more  de- 
clared herself  on  our  side,  and  that  the  redoubtable 
Black  Yenus  was  ours. 

Getting  Smellie  below  and  into  his  cot  with  all 
speed,  I  waited  until  the  arrival  of  the  surgeon  upon 
the  scene,  when,  handing  the  patient  over  to  his 
tender  mercies,  I  hastened  back  on  board  the  prize, 
and  went  straight  below  into  her  cabin.  It  was  a 
magnificently  furnished  apartment,  and  fitted  with 
every  luxury,  even  to  a  guitar.  But  it  was  empty. 
Could  it  be  possible  that  we  had  been  deceived,  after 
all,  as  to  the  circumstance  of  Dona  Antonia's  abduc- 
tion? Perhaps  she  was  concealed  somewhere.  I 
shouted : 

"  Doiia  Antonia !  Dona  Antonia !  are  you  here  ? 
Fear  not ;  it  is  I — Dick  Hawkesley.     We  have  cap- 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  40I 

tured  this  vessel ;  IMadera  is  wounded,  if  not  slain 
outright ;  your  father  is  at  hand,  and  you  are 
free." 

"  Who  calls  ? "  I  heard  a  voice — Madre  Dolores' — 
exclaim  from  an  adjacent  berth,  the  door  of  which 
was  closed.     "  Who  calls  ? " 

"I — Dick  Hawkesley,"  I  replied.  "Don't  you 
recognize  my  voice,  Madre  ? " 

"  Ay,  to  be  sure  I  do — noiv,^''  was  the  reply.  A 
sound  of  the  withdrawal  of  bolts  followed  ;  the  door 
cautiously  opened,  and  the  Madre,  with  her  eyes 
gleaming  and  a  cocked  pistol  pointed  straight  in  my 
direction,  protruded  her  head  through  the  opening. 
One  look  Avas  sufficient.  With  a  wild  cry  of  delight 
she  dashed  the  pistol  to  the  floor,  exploding  it  in  the 
act,  and  sending  the  ball  within  a  hair's-breadth  of 
my  starboard  ankle,  and  rushing  forward  flung  her 
arms  convulsively  about  my  neck,  pouring  out  a  tor- 
rent of  Spanish  endearments  between  the  kisses 
which  the  poor  old  soul  liberally  bestowed  upon  me. 
I  submitted  with  a  good  grace  for  a  moment,  and 
then  gently  but  firmly  withdrew  myself  from  her 
embraces,  to  meet  the  glance  of  Dona  Antonia,  who 
stood  in  the  doorway  of  the  state-room,  looking  on 
Avith  a  curiously  mingled  expression  of  fear,  doubt, 
and  amusement. 

A  few  words  sufficed  to  fully  explain  to  her  the 

state  of  affairs,  and  then  hastily  enveloping  her  and 

old  Dolores  in  the  first  w^raps  that  came  to  hand,  I 

conveyed  them  with  all  speed  on  board  the  Vir(jmia 

and  presented  them  to  Don  Manuel. 
26 


402  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

****** 

My  story  is  now  ended,  or  nearly  so  ;  my  adven- 
tures on  the  Congo  and  the  west  coast  terminating 
with  the  capture  of  the  Black  Yeniis  ;  a  few  addi- 
tional words,  therefore,  will  suffice  to  fittingly  dis- 
miss the  principal  personages  who  have  figured  in 
this  history,  and  to  bring  the  history  itself  to  a 
symmetrical  conclusion. 

We  returned  with  our  prize  to  Banana  Creek,  on 
the  morning  following  the  action,  and  there  remained 
for  a  couple  of  days  to  bury  the  dead,  and  to  refit. 
Don  Manuel  embraced  this  opportunity  to  make  a 
flying  visit  to  his  house,  from  which  he  returned 
after  an  absence  of  a  few  hours  only,  bringing  with 
him  a  small  but  solidly  constructed  and  extremely 
heavy  oak  chest,  which  he  explained  to  me  in  confi- 
dence contained  his  daughter's  dowry,  and  which 
eventually  proved  to  be  the  receptacle  of  a  goodly 
store  of  Spanish  dollars. 

From  Banana  Creek  the  two  brigs  proceeded  in 
company  to  Sierra  Leone,  where  the  Black  Venus 
was  soon  afterwards  adjudicated  upon  and  con- 
demned as  a  pirate,  my  evidence  and  that  of  the 
other  six  survivors  from  the  Daphne  being  accepted 
as  conclusive  of  the  fact  that  she  had  been  guilty  of 
at  least  one  act  of  piracy  ;  namely,  in  the  case  of  the 
Highland  Chieftain.  Her  crew  were  committed  to 
prison  upon  heavy  sentences,  meted  out  in  propor- 
tion to  the  comparative  guilt  of  the  parties  ;  but 
additional  evidence  shortly  afterwards  cropping  up 
• — that  of  poor  Richards  of  the  Juliet  amongst  it — 


AN    IMPORTANT   CAPTURE.  403 

additional  cbarg-es  were  preferred  against  them  ;  and 
Madera,  who  proved  to  be  the  half-brother  of  the 
fictitious  M.  Le  Breton,  late  of  the  Vii'ginia,  with 
his  officers  and  several  of  his  men  suffered  the  pen- 
ality of  death  by  hanging. 

Smellie's  wound  proving  unexpectedly  troul)le- 
some,  he  was  ordered  home  that  he  might  have  the 
benefit  of  a  more  temperate  climate  to  assist  his  re- 
covery, and  he  accordingly  took  passage  for  London 
in  a  tidy  little  barque,  the  Lilian,  Don  Manuel  and 
his  daughter,  with  old  Dolores,  all  of  whom  hatl  gone 
on  to  Sierra  Leone  with  us,  also  engaging  berths  in 
the  same  vessel.  The  survivors  from  the  Daphne 
being  also  ordered  home  to  stand  their  trial  for  the 
loss  of  that  vessel,  I  thought  I  could  not  do  better 
than  secure  one  of  the  remaining  berths  in  the  Lil- 
ia7i's  cabin — the  men  being  accommodated  in  the 
steerage.  Thus  we  had  the  mutual  pleasure  of  each 
other's  society  all  the  way  home. 

The  passage  was  a  long  but  uneventful  one,  and 
by  the  time  that  we  arrived  in  the  Chops  of  the 
Channel  Smellie's  wound  had  taken  so  favorable  a 
turn  that  he  was  almost  as  well  as  ever,  save  and  ex- 
cept for  a  little  lingering  weakness  and  shakiness  in 
his  lower  spars,  which,  somehow,  obstinately  con- 
tinued to  need  the  assistance  and  support  of  Dona 
Antonia's  fair  arm  whenever  the  two  promenaded 
the  deck  together.  My  gallant  superior  was  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  be  married  immediately  on  the 
ship's  arrival,  and  after  the  usual  protestations  and 
pleadings  for  delay  with  which  engaged  maidens 


404  THE    CONGO    ROVERS. 

delight  to  torment  their  lovers,  Dona  Antonia  so  far 
yielded  as  to  consent  to  the  wedding  taking  place  on 
the  earliest  possible  day  after  my  trial,  so  that  I 
might  be  present  at  the  ceremony. 

And  this  arrangement  was  duly  carried  out ;  the 
trial  by  court-martial  being,  of  course,  a  mere  form, 
from  which  I  and  my  fellow-survivors  emerged  with 
a  full  acquittal,  accompanied,  in  my  case,  by  a  few 
very  gracious  and  complimentary  remarks  from  the 
president  on  the  manner  in  which  I  had  conducted 
myself  during  my  short  period  of  service. 

As  for  Smellie,  he  found  himself  fully  confirmed 
in  his  rank  of  commander,  with  the  gracious  intima- 
tion that,  in  appreciation  of  his  valued  services,  an 
appointment  would  be  at  his  disposal  whenever  he 
felt  himself  sufficiently  recovered  to  ask  for  it,  which 
he  did  after  a  six  months'  sojourn  at  home  with  his 
young  wife.  I  sailed  with  him  in  the  capacity  of 
midshipman,  and  in  the  West  Indies  and  elsewhere 
we  passed  through  several  stirring  adventures  to- 
gether, the  record  of  which  may  possibly  be  given 
in  the  future. 

THE    END. 


THE  ROUND  TABLE  SERIES. 

25  Volumes.     Ornamental  Cloth  Binding. 

IMustrated.    Price  Sl.OO  per  Copy. 

The  Round  Table  Series  of  Stories  are  written 
by  sii 'h  famous  writers  for  boys  as  Gordon  Sta- 
bles, Robert  Leighton,  Harry  CoUingwood,  Geo. 
M  iiiville  Fenn,  Jules  Verne,  etc. 

These  stories  are  replete  with  tales  of  hero- 
ism by  land  and  sea,  of  the  most  romantic  kind, 
abounding  in  scenes  of  narrow  escapes,  encounters 
with  wild  animals,  the  finding  of  treasure  trove, 
descriptions  of  domestic  life  in  far-away  lands, 
etx;.  These  are  thrilling  stories,  possessing  all  the 
value  of  truth,  with  all  the  charm  of  the  most 
daring  ronaance. 


Boris  the  Bear  Hunter.    A  Tale  of  Peter  the 

Great  and  His  Times.      By   Fred  Wishaw. 

18uio.  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Congo  Rovers,  The.     A  Story  of  the  Slave  Squadi'ou.    By  Hakry  Colli.ng- 

wooD.     12mo.  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Erling  the  Bold.    A  Tale  of  the  Norse  Sea  Kings.    By  R.  M.  Bau^antyne. 

l:imo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Dick   Sand;  or,  A  Captain  at  Fifteen.    By  Jules  Verne.    12mo,  cloth, 

illustrated,  price  ,$1.00. 
Every  Inch  a  Sailor.     By  Gordon  Stables.    13mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price 

$1.00. 
Golden  Galleon,  The.    A  Narrative  of  Adventure  on  Her  Majesty's  Ship  the 

Revenge.    By  Robert  Leighton.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Gorilla  Hunters,  The.     A  Tale  of  the  Wilds  of  Africa.    By  R.  M.  Ballan- 

TYNE.     1-Jmo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Green  Mountain  Boys.    A  Tale  of  the  Early  Settlement  of  Vermont.    By 

D.  P.  Thompson.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Grettir  the  Outlaw.     A  Story   of  Iceland.     By  S.   Baring-Gould.     12mo, 

cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
How  Jack  Mackenzie  "Won  His  Epaulettes.    A  Story  of  the  Crimean 

War.    By  Gordon  Stables.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
King's  Pardon,   The.     A  Story  of  Land  and  Sea.    By  Robert  Overton. 

l'.imo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Log:  of  the  Flying  Fish,  The.    A  Story  of  Peril  and  Adventure.    By  Harry 

Oollin'owood.     l~mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Mastei-man  Ready;  or  The  Wreck  of  the  Pacific.    By  Captain  Mar- 

ryat.    12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Michael  Strogoflf ;  or,  The  Courier  of  the  Czar.    By  Jules  Verne.  12mo, 

cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Mother  Carey's  Chicken.     Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.    By  George 

Manville  Fenn.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Nat  the  Naturalist.    A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.    By  George 

Manvillb  Fen.v.     12mo,  cloth.  Illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Olaf  the  Glorious.     A  Story  of   the  Viking  Age.     By  Robert  Leighton. 

12mo.  cloth,  illustrated,  price,  $1.00 
Story  of  John  G.  Paton;  or,  Thirtj'  Years  Among  the  South  Sea  Cannibals. 

By  Rev.  Ja.vies  Paton.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
To  Greenland  and  the  Pole.     A  Story  of  Adventure  in  the  Arctic  Regions. 

By  GiiRD  jN  Stables,     l^mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Two  Thousand  Years  Ago.     The  Adventures  of  a  Roman  Boy.    By  Prof. 

A.  J.  Church.     12ino,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Two  Years  Before  the  Mast.     A  Pei-sonal  Narrative  of  Life  at  Sea.    By  R. 

H.  Dana,  Jr.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Under  the  Lone  Star.    A  Story  of  the  Revolution  in  Nicaragua.  By  Herbert 

Hayens.     12m(),  cloth,  illustrated,  pric^e  $1.00. 
"Wreck  of  the  Golden  Fleece.    The  Story  of  a  North  Sea  Fisher  Boy.    By 

Robert  Leighton.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Young  Rajah,  The.     A  Story  of  Indian  Life.     By  W.  H.  G.  Kingston.    12mo, 

rid'h.  illiisrrated,  price  $1.00. 
Yussuf  the  Guide.    A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Asia  Minor.    By  George  Man- 
ville Fenn.     12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

For  sale  by  all  boohsellprs,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by 
the  publisher f  A.  X.  HURT,  97  Iteade  Street,  Netv  York, 


THE  LITTLE  MEN  SERIES. 


Uniform  Cloth  Binding.    Profusely 
Illustrated. 

PRICE    75    CENTS    PER    COPY. 

This  series  of  boys'  books  have  been  selected 
from  the  writings  of  a  large  number  of  popular 
authors  of  juvenile  stories,  and  are  particularly 
adapted  to  interest  and  supply  attractive  reading; 
for  young  boys.  The  books  are  profusely  illus 
trated,  and  any  one  seeking  to  find  a  book  to  gi'  3 
a  young  boy  cannot  make  a  mistake  by  selecting 
from  the  following  list  of  titles. 


Black  Beauty.  The  Autobiography  of  a  Horse.  By  Anna  Sewkll.  Illus- 
trated, cloth,  price  75  cents 

Carrots:  Just  a  Little  Boy.  By  Mrs.  Molesworth.  Illustrated,  cloth, 
price  75  cents. 

Chunk,  Fuskey  and  Snout.  A  Story  of  Wild  Pigs  for  Little  People. 
By  Gerald  Young.    Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 

Daddy's  Boy.    By  L.  T.  Meade.    Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 

Flat  Iron  for  a  Farthing-,  A.    The  Story  of  an  Only  Son.    By  Jotjana 

HoRATiA  EwiNG.    Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Flock  of  Four,  A.    A  Story  for  Boys  and  Girls.     By  Ismay  Thorn.     Il- 
lustrated, clotu,  price  75  cents. 
Geoff  and  Jim.    A  Story  of  School  Life.    By  Ismay  Thorn.     Illustrated. 

cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Jack:    A  Topsy  Turvy  Story.     By  C.  M.  ;Crawley-Boevey.      Illustrated, 

cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Jackanapes.    By  Juliana  Horatia  Ewing.    Illustrated,  cloth,  price  7'5 

cents. 
Larry's  Luck.    By  the  author  of  "  Miss  Toosey's  Mission,"  "  Tom's  Opin- 
ion."   Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Little  Ivan's  Hero.    A  Story  of  Child  Life.    By  Helen  Milman.    Illus- 

tratt'd,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Mopsa  the  Fairy.    A  Fairy  Story  for  Boys.    By  Jean  Ingelow.    Ulus- 

trateil.  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
My  iiog  Plato:   His  Adventures  and  Impressions.    By  M.  H.  Cornwall 

Liciiu.    Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Peter  the  Pilerrim.    The  Story  of  a  Boy  and  His  Pet  Kabbit.    By  L.  T 

.AIeade.     IlTustratpd.  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Prince  Prigio,  Adventures  of.    By  Andrew  Lang.    Illustrated,  cloth, 

jirice  75  cents. 
Robin's  Ride.    A  Story  for  Children.    By  Ellinor  D.  Adams.    Illustrated, 

cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Squib  and  His  Friends.    A  Story  for  Children.     By  Ellen  Everett 

(Jreen.     Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Tom's  Opinion.    The  Story  of  a  Boys"  School.    By  tlie  author  of  "  Miss 

Toost^y's  Mission."     Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
We  and  the  World.    A  Story  for  Boys.    By  Juliana  Horatia  Ewing. 

Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 
Wonder  Book,  A:  For  Boys  and  Girls.    Comprising  Stories  of  Classical 

Fables.    By  Nathaniel  Hawthorne     Illustrated,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postjiaid  on  receipt  of  price  by  tho  pub- 
lisher, A.  li.  BURT,  97  Keade  Slreet,  New  York. 


/\.  L.  BURT'S  PUBLICATIONS 

For  Young  People 

BY  POPULAR  WRITERS, 

97-99-101  Reade  Street,  New  York. 


Bonnie  Prince  Charlie  :  A  Tale  of  Fontenoy  and  Culloden.     By 

Qt.  A.  Henty.     With   12  full-page   Illustrations  by  Cordon 

Browne.     13mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

The  adventures  of  the  sou  of  a  Scotch  officer  la  ^r.  nch  service. 
The  boy,  brought  up  by  a  Glasgow  bailie,  is  a  ''cjsted  for  aiding  a 
Jacobite  agent,  escapes,  is  wrecked  on  the  French  coast,  reaches 
Paris,  and  serves  with  the  French  arciy  at  Dettingen.  He  kills 
his  father's  foe  in  p  duel,  and  escaping  to  the  coast,  shares  tlie 
advent  jres  of  Prince  Charlie,  but  finally  settles  happily  in  Scot- 
land. 

"  Ronald,  the  hero,  is  very  like  the  hero  of  '  Quentin  Durward.'  The  lad'a 
journey  across  France,  and  his  hairbreadth  escapes,  malce  up  as  good  a  nar- 
rative of  the  kind  as  we  have  ever  read.  For  freshness  of  treatment  and 
variety  of  incident  Mr.  Henty  has  surpassed  himself." — Spectator. 

With  Clive  in  India;  or,  the  Beginnings  of  an  Empire.  By 
G.  A.  Henty.  With  13  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

The  period  between  the  landing  of  Clive  as  a  young  writer  ia 
India  and  the  close  of  his  career  was  critical  and  eventful  in  the 
extreme.  At  its  commencement  the  English  were  traders  existing 
on  sufferance  of  the  native  princes.  At  its  close  they  were  masters 
i>f  Bengal  and  "f  thi?  gn^ater  part  of  Southern  India.  The  author 
has  given  a  full  and  accurate  account  of  the  events  of  that  stirring 
lime,  and  battles  and  sieg.-s  follow  each  other  in  rapid  succession, 
while  he  combines  with  liis  narrative  a  tale  of  daring  and  adven- 
ture, which  gives  a  lifelike  interest  to  the  volume. 

"  He  has  taken  a  period  of  Indian  history  of  the  most  vital  importance, 
and  he  has  embroidered  on  the  historical  facts  a  story  which  of  itself  is  deeply 
interesting.  Young  people  assuredly  will  be  delighted  with  the  volume."— 
Scotsma7i. 

The  Lion  of  the  North  :  A  Tale  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  the 
Wars  of  Religion.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  JoEN  ScHoNBERG.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
In  this  story  Mr.  Hen  y  gives  the  history  of  the  first  part  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.     The  issue  had  its  importance,  which  has  ex- 
tended   to   the  present  day,  as   it   established  religious   freedom 
in  Germany.     The  army  of  the  cliivalrous   king    of  Sweden  was 
largely  composed  of  Scotchmen,  and  among  these  was  the  hero  of 
the  story. 

"The  tale  is  a  clever  and  instnictive  piece  of  history,  and  as  boys  may  ho 
yusted  toread  J* '■onscientiously^  they  can  hardly  faii  to  be  profited  "  —Times. 


A.  L.  BURT'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


The  Dragon  and  the  Raven ;  or,  The  Days  of  King  Alfred.  By 
G.  A.  Henty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Stani- 
LAND,  R.I,     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

In  this  story  the  author  gives  an  account  of  the  fierce  struggle 
between  Saxon  and  Dane  for  supremacy  in  England,  and  presents 
a  vivid  picture  of  the  misery  and  ruin  to  which  the  country  was 
reduced  by  the  ravages  of  the  sea- wolves.  The  hero,  a  young 
Saxon  thane,  takes  part  in  all  the  battles  fought  by  King  Alfred. 
He  is  driven  from  his  home,  takes  to  the  sea  and  resists  the  Danes 
on  thf  ir  own  element,  and  being  pursued  by  them  up  the  Seine, 
is  present  at  the  long  and  desperate  siege  of  Paris. 

"  Treated  in  a  manner  most  attractive  to  the  boyish  reader." — AtheiKBum. 

The  Young  Carthaginian :  A  Story  of  the  Times  of  Hannibal. 
By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Stani- 
LAND,  R.I.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

Boys  reading  the  history  of  the  Punic  Wars  have  seldom  a  keen 
appreciation  of  the  merits  of  the  contest.  That  it  was  at  first  a 
struggle  for  empire,  and  afterward  for  existence  on  the  part  of 
Carthage,  that  Hannibal  was  a  great  and  skillful  general,  that  he 
defeated  the  Romans  at  Trebia,  Lake  Trasimenus,  and  Cannae, 
and  all  but  took  Rome,  represents  pretty  nearly  the  sum  total  of 
their  knowledge.  To  let  them  know  more  about  this  momentous 
struggle  for  the  empire  of  the  world  Mr.  Henty  has  written  this 
story,  which  not  only  gives  in  graphic  style  a  brilliant  descrip- 
tion of  a  most  interesting  period  of  history,  but  is  a  tale  of  ex- 
citing adventure  sure  to  secure  the  interest  of  the  reader. 

"  Well  constructed  and  vividly  told.  From  first  to  last  nothing  stays  the 
interest  of  the  narrative.  It  bears  us  along  as  on  a  |stream  whose  current 
varies  in  direction,  but  never  loses  its  force."— Saturday  Review. 

In  Freedom's  Cause  :  A  Story  of  Wallace  and  Bruce.  By  G.  A. 
Henty.  With  full  page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne. 
12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

In  this  story  the  author  relates  the  stirring  tale  of  the  Scottish 
'  War  of  Independence.  The  extraordinary  valor  and  personal 
prowess  of  Wallace  and  Bruce  rival  the  deeds  of  the  mythical 
heroes  of  chivalry,  and  indeed  at  one  time  Wallace  was  ranked 
with  these  legendary  personages.  The  researches  of  modern 
historians  have  shown,  however,  that  he  was  a  living,  breathing 
man — and  a  valiant  champion.  The  hero  of  the  tale  fought  under 
both  Wallace  and  Brace,  and  while  the  strictest  historical  accuracy 
has  been  maintained  with  respect  to  public  events,  the  work  is 
full  of  "hairbreadth  'scapes"  and  wild  adventure. 

"  It  is  written  in  the  author's  best  style.  Full  of  the  virildest  and  most  re- 
markable achievements,  it  is  a  tale  of  great  interest,  which  a  boy,  once  he  has 
begun  it.  will  not  willingly  put  on  ©ne  side"— 37ie  Schoolmaster. 


A.  L.  BURT'S  PTTBLtCATIONS.  t 


With  Lee  in  Virginia :  A  Story  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By 
G.  A,  Hentt.  With  full-page  JHustrations  by  GokdojI 
Browne.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

The  story  of  a  young  Virginian  planter,  who,  after  bravelj 
proving  his  sympathy  with  the  slaves  of  brutal  masters,  servet" 
with  no  less  courage  and  enthusiasm  under  Lee  and  Jackson 
through  the  most  exciting  events  of  the  struggle.  He  has  man;v 
hairbreadth  escapes,  is  several  times  wounded  and  twice  taken 
prisoner;  but  his  courage  and  readiness  and,  in  two  cases,  the 
devotion  of  a  black  servant  and  of  a  runaway  slave  whom  he  had 
^assisted,  bring  him  safely  through  all  difficulties 

"  One  of  the  best  stories  for  lads  which  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written.  The 
picture  is  full  of  life  and  color,  and  the  stirring  and  romantic  incidents  are 
skillfully  blended  with  the  personal  interest  and  charm  oi"  the  £tory."— 
Standard. 

By  England's  Aid ;  or.  The  Freeing  of  the  Netherlands  (1585- 

1604).     By   G.    A.    Henty.     With   full-page   Illustrations   by 

Alfred  Pearse,  and  Maps.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

The  story  of  two  English  lads  «  ho  go  to  Holland  as  pages  in 

the  service  of  one  of  "  the  fighting  Veres."     After  many  adven. 

tures  by  sea  and  land,  one  of  the  lads  finds  himself  on  board  a 

Spanish  ship  at  the  time  of  the  defeat  of  the  Armada,  and  escapes 

only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Corsairs.     He  is  successful  in 

getting  back  to  Spain  under  the  protection  of  a  wealthy  merchant, 

and  regains  his  native  country  after  the  capture  of  Cadiz. 

"  It  is  an  admirable  book  for  youngfsters.  It  overflows  with  stirring  inci- 
dent and  exciting  adventure,  and  the  color  of  the  era  and  of  the  scene  are 
finely  reproduced.  The  illustrations  add  to  its  attractiveness."— Sosf on 
Gazette. 

By  Right  of  Conquest ;  or,  With  Cortez  in  Mexico.  By  G.  A, 
Henty.  With  full-page  Hlustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey,  and 
Two  Maps.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.50. 

The  conquest  of  Mexico  by  a  small  band  of  resolute  men  undeF 
the  magnificent  leadership  of  Cortez  is  always  rightly  ranked 
among  the  most  romantic  and  daring  exploits  in  history.  With 
this  as  the  groundwork  of  his  story  Mr.  Henty  has  interwoven  the 
adventures  of  an  English  youth,  Roger  Hawkshaw,  the  sole  sur 
vivor  of  the  good  ship  Swan,  which  had  sailed  from  a  Devon  port 
to  challenge  the  mercantile  supremacy  ol  the  Spaniards  in  the 
New  World.  He  is  beset  by  many  perils  among  the  natives,  but 
is  saved  by  his  own  judgment  and  strength,  and  by  the  devotion 
of  an  Aztec  princess.  At  last  by  a  ruse  he  obtains  the  protection 
of  the  Spaniards,  and  after  the  fall  of  Mexico  h"  succeeds  in  re- 
gaining his  native  shore,  with  a  fortune  and  a  charming  Azteo 
bride. 

' '  By  Right  of  Conquest '  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  perfectly  succeasfu' 
historical  tale  that  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  published."— Academj^. 


A,  T.    BtlUT'H  PTTBI.ICATIONS. 


In  the  Reign  of  Terror  :  'I'hn  Advontiirea  of  a  WoHtiniriHter  Hoy. 

l'.y  a.  A.  IlicNi'Y.      With   full  pUK*'  llluBtrations  by  J.  Ht'llON- ^ 

UKIK).     12iiio,  clotli,  i>r"u;<:  $1.00. 

Marry  Handwitli,  a  WfHt.ininsldr  l)()y.  lir-conuw  a  rcKJilcnt  at,  lli« 
rliatcaii  of  a  I'Vfncli  iiiar(|iiiH,  and  aft,'  r  varioiiH  adv«!ntiin)s  accoin- 
[)airn^H  tln!  family  to  I'ariH  at,  tlio  criwi.s  of  tin:  ifivoliitioii.  Iiii- 
i)ri^<)nmi'iit  and  dcatli  H'diici-  tlifir  tiiiinhfr,  and  t,li(!  Ikto  i}it(ln 
iiiniHolf  licHct,  liy  pciiJH  with  tlio  llirro  yoiiii^  daii>,'lifcrH  of  the 
\.<>u»(:  ill  his  f\inr^r.  After  hairhrcadth  csr-apcH  tli(7  rcadi  >  m- 
toH.  'I'hrrf!  tho  t'irls  aro  (•ohdciniicd  to  death  in  tho  cofUn-' liipH, 
hut  aro  .'-aved  hy  tho  iiiifailinK  coiita^o  (d'  tlioir  hoy  protector. 

"  II(UT-y  Hiuiilwilli,  the  We«(,iiilnH'er-  lioy,  riiiiy  Ciiirly  I.e  Hiiiil  to  l)r-/it  Mr. 
HeiilyV  iccor-d.      IIIm  iidveiitureu  will  lle|l^^lll,  Ix.yH   l>y  the  Jiiidaeity  iind  peril 

they 'depict The   Hlory    Ih   one  ot    Mi'.    lleiityH    licHt."     Xdiurduy 

UevifiK. 

With  Wolfe  in  Canada  ;  or,  'I'ho  Winninj,'  of  a  Continont.       liy 

(J.    A.     IIk.nty.      With    fiill-pa(,'o    IlluHtrationH    by    (ioHDON 

IJiiowNK.     l^ino,  cloth,  prico  ifl.OO. 

hi  the  pnvHcnt  voliiiiio  Mr.  Ilenty  k'v»'H  an  account  of  the  Htrug- 
fr](\  hetweon  Mritaiii  and  Kranco  for  Hiipreniacy  in  tho  North 
Amorican  coiitiiieiit.  On  the  is.sue  of  this  war  depeiidiid  not  only 
the  de.KtinieH  (d'  ,\orlh  Aiiieri(;a,  liut  to  a  lar^'e  extent  tlioHc  of  llio 
mother  coiintrh^H  theinMidvcH.  'l"ho  fall  of  Qiiehcjc  docidttd  that 
th«^  An^'lo  Saxon  rac(!  whoiild  predoiiiinato  in  th«)  New  World; 
tliiit  Mritain,  and  not  I'^raiice,  Hhotild  talte  tlio  lead  atrion^,'  tlio 
natioiiH  of  I'lurojie;  and  that  I'lnj^Hish  and  American  commerce,  t}i« 
Kn|,'liHh  laii>,'iia^'e,  and  i'',n^,diHh  literature,  Hhouid  spreail  ri/,(ht 
round  tli«  ^(hdai. 

"  It  In  not  ordy  /i  leHHon  In  lilHtory  an  Irmtructlvely  an  It  Ih  Kr'i.[ilil<!ally  l/)l(l, 
hut  mJho  II  dirplv  InteicHtiiii.:  and  (in-n  I  hrlllliif^  tale  ol'  (MJvetitiire  iind  peril  hy 
flood  and  Held."'     llliiMrdlc'l  l.inutim  Nriim. 

True  to  the   Old   Flajj:   A  Taie  of  the  Atnerican  War  of  Fndo- 

lieiideiico.      Hy  (i.    A.  lllONTV.      With  full  |)a(M5  JliuKtratior^H  by 

(JoiiDON  i{|K)WNK.      l2iiio,  cloth,  pricc!  $1.00. 

In  thin  Htory  the  aiitlior  liiiH  ^^one  to  thenccountH  of  odlcf  ■  wh( 
.  iook  [lart  in  the  conflict,  and  ladw  will  find  that  in  no  war  in  ^^  hioh 
American  ami  I'.ritish  .-ioldierH  have  been  eiif^oi^'ed  did  they  heiiavo 
with  ^renter  roiiriiije  and  (rood  coiidiK't.  The  historirni  portion  of 
tlio  liooU  beiin^  iiccompnnied  with  niimeroiiH  I  hrillin^^  adventure.H 
with  the  redskiiiH  on  IheHhoresof  l.a  e  1 1  iiron,  a  Htory  of  exciting 
jiitercHt  is  iiiterwovcMi  with  the  f!;eneral  narriitive  and  carriod 
throu(f|i  the  iiook. 

"  lloeH  JllHtlce  to  Ihc  |>liicl(  iiiid  dilcriidii/itlon  of  the-  l:i-ill.'<h  >.  IdiciHdiirlnif 
the  imfoiMuniile  Htni^'|,'le  a).'aliiHl   AiniTlrMii   eiii)iricl|i;it  Icmi,     'I'hi    Hon    t.C  an 

Anirrl'-aii  loyallHl,  whi>  reiiiaiiiH  l-i'in'  lo ■  llair,  fall.'*  'hmi.mi;  llie  hoHllle  red 

hUIiih  III  Ihid.'vi-rv  Jliiroii  count ry  which  hn-i  hern  endeared  to  ijh  hy  .'lo  wx 
Viliulnof  llawlo-ye  and  I  ihiiiKiKiliKO')!'-'      //"■  'I'hu.r.H. 


A.  I..  BTTRT'S  PtTRT-TCATTOXS.  5 


The  Lion  of  St.  Mark:  A  Talo   of   Venico   in   tlio   Fourteonfli 
(Vntiiry.     By  (J.  A.  Hkntt.     With  full-page   lllustrntions  by 
GoHDON  liuowNi!;.     12iuo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
A  story  of  VeifR'e  at  a  period  when   Iut  strtMiifth  ami   spUMidor 
wore  put  to  the  sever<'st  tests.     T1m>  hero  displays  a  fine  sense  and 
manliness  whieli  carry  liim  safely  throiit::h  an  atmosphere  of  in- 
trigue, crime,  and  hloodshed.     lie  contributes  largely  to  the  vie- 
V>ries  of  the  Venetians  at  Porto  d'An/.o  and  iMiioggia,  and  finally 
wins  the  hand  of  the  daugliter  of  ont^  of  the  cliief  men  of  Venice 

'  Every  boy  should  rcMil  "rhi>  tiioii  of  St.  ^larU.'  HIi-.  IltMily  h;is  never  pro 
(Jnoed  IX  story  uion>  iieli}^li(ful,  more  wliolcsouic,  or  iiiorrt  viviioious  '" — Sattir 

A  Final  Reckoni.if :  A  'Pale  of  Hush  Life  in  Australia,  l\v  G.  A 
Hrnty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  B.  Woi.mcn 
l2mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00, 

The  hero,  a  young  English  lad.  after  rather  a  stormy  boyhood, 
emigrates  to  Australia,  and  gets  euij)loyment  as  an  oHicer  in  the 
mounted  i)olice.  A  few  years  of  active  work  on  the  frontier, 
where  he  has  many  a  brush  with  both  natives  and  bushrangers, 
gain  him  promotion  to  a  captaincy,  and  he  eventually  settles 
liown  to  the  peaceful  life  of  a  squatter. 

"Mr.  IIt>TUy  lias  ii(>vi'r  tiuhlisluHl  a  more  nvulalilf,  a  more  carefully  ecu- 
8trui't('il.  or  a  better  written  story  tliaii  this  ^'—Spcct<itor. 

Under  Drake's  Flag  :  A  Tale  of  the  Spanish  Main.     \\y  (}.  A. 

Hknty.     With    full-page   Illustrations  by   CIouddn   Buownic. 

12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

A  story  of  the  days  when  England  and  Spain  struggled  for  tim 
supremacy  of  the  sea.  The  heroes  sail  as  huls  with  Hrake  in  the 
Pacific  exi)e(lition.  and  in  his  great  voyage  of  circumnavigation. 
The  historical  ]>ortion  of  the  story  is  absolutely  to  hv  relied  upon, 
but  this  will  ])erhiips  be  less  attractive  than  the  great  varitdy  of 
exciting  adventure  through  which  the  young  heroes  pass  i'<  th» 
course  of  their  voyages. 

"  A  book  of  adventure,  where  the  hero  meets  with  experience  eiioiij^h,  one 
Would  think,  to  turn  his  hair  gray." — Harper's  Monthly  MtKjazinv. 

By  Sheer  Pluck:  A  Tale  of  the  Ashanti  War.  By  G  A.  Hknty 
With  lull-page  Illustrations  by  GoiinoN  HuoWNK.  liimo, 
cloth    price  $1  00. 

The  author  has  woven,  in  a  tale  of  thrilling  int(>rest,  all  the  de 
tails  of  the  Ashanti  campaign,  of  which  he  was  himself  a  witness. 
His  hero,  after  many  exciting  adventures  in  the  interior,  is  de- 
tained a  prisoner  by  the  king  just  Ix-fore  the  outbreak  of  the  war, 
but  escapes,  and  acconijianies  tln^  i^higlish  t^xpedition  on  their 
march  to  (.'oomassie. 

"  Mr  ITeiity  keeps  up  his  reputation  as  a  writer  oi  boys'  stories.  '  Hy  Sheet 
Pluck  '  will,  be  eajjerlj'  read." — Atkentxiun^. 


6  A.  L.  BURT'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


By  Pike  and  Dyke  :  A  Tale  of  the  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 
By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  full-page  Illustrations  by  Maynarb 
Brown,  and  4  Maps.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
In  this  story  Mr.  Henty  traces  the  adventures  and  brave  deeds 
of  an  English  boy  in  the  household  of  the  ablest  man  of  his  age — • 
William  the  Silent.     Edward  Martin,  the  son  of  an  English  sea- 
captain,  enters  the  service  of  the  Prince  as  a  volunteer,  and  is  em- 
ployed by  him  in  many  dangerous  and  responsible  missions,  in  the 
discharge  of  which  he  passes  through  the  great  sieges  of  the  time. 
He  ultimately  settles  down  as  Sir  Edward  Martin. 

"  Boys  with  a  turn  for  historical  research  will  be  enchanted  with  the  book, 
while  the  rest  who  only  care  for  adventure. will  be  students  in  spite  of  theni' 
selves." — St.  James''  Gazette. 

St.  George  for  England  :  A  Tale  of  Cressy  and  Poitiers.  By 
G.  A.  Henty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     12mo.  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

No  portion  of  English  history  is  more  crowded  with  great  events 
than  that  of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  Cressy  and  Poitiers;  the 
destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet;  the  plague  of  the  Black  Death; 
tie  Jacquerie  rising;  these  are  treated  by  the  author  in  "  St. 
George  for  England."  The  hero  of  the  story,  although  of  good 
family,  begins  life  as  a  London  apprentice,  but  after  countless  ad- 
ventures and  perils  becomes  by  valor  and  good  conduct  the  squire, 
and  at  last  the  trusted  friend  of  the  Black  Prince. 

"  Mr.  Henty  has  developed  for  himself  a  type  of  historical  novel  for  boj^^s 
Which  bids  fair  to  supplement,  on  their  behalf,  the  historical  labors  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  in  the  land  of  fiction." — The  Standard. 

Captain's  Kidd's  Gold:  TheTrueStory  of  an  Adventurous  Sailor 
Boy.  By  James  Franklin  FiTTS.  12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
There  is  something  fascinating  to  the  average  youth  in  the  very 
idea  of  buried  treasure.  A  vision  arises  before  his  eyes  of  swarthy 
Portuguese  and  Spanish  rascals,  with  black  beards  and  gleaming 
eyes — sinister-looking  fellows  who  once  on  a  time  haunted  the 
Spanish  Main,  sneaking  out  from  some  hidden  creek  in  their  long, 
low  schooner,  of  picaroonish  rake  and  sheer,  to  attack  an  unsus- 
pecting trading  craft.  There  were  many  famous  sea  rovers  in 
their  day,  but  none  more  celebrated  than  Capt.  Kidd.  Perhaps 
the  most  fascinating  tale  of  all  is  Mr.  Fitts'  true  story  of  ani  dven  ■ 
turous  American  boy,  who  receives  from  his  dying  father  an 
ancient  bit  of  vellum,  which  the  latter  obtained  in  a  curious  way. 
The  document  bears  obscure  directions  purporting  to  locate  a  cer- 
tain island  in  the  Bahama  group,  and  a  considerable  treasure 
buried  there  by  two  of  Kidd's  crew.  The  hero  of  this  book, 
Paul  Jones  Garry,  is  an  ambitious,  persevering  lad,  of  salt-watei 
New  England  ancestry,  and  his  efforts  to  reach  the  island  and 
secure  the  money  form  one  of  the  most  absorbing  tales  far  our 
youth  that  has  come  from  the  press. 


A.  L.  BURT'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


Captain  Bayley's  Heir :  A  Tale  of  the  Gold  Fields  of  California. 

By   G.    A.    Henty.     With   full-page   Illustrations   by   H.    M. 

Paget.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

A  frank,  manly  lad  and  his  cousin  are  rivals  in  the  heirship'of  a 
CO  siderable  property.  The  former  fulls  into  a  trap  laid  by  the 
latter,  and  while  under  a  false  accusation  of  theft  foolishly  leaves 
England  for  America.  He  works  his  passage  before  the  mast, 
joins  a  small  band  of  hunters,  crosses  a  tract  of  country  infested 
with  Indians  to  the  Californian  goid  diggings,  and  is  successful 
both  as  digger  and  trader. 

"Mr.  Henty  is  careful  to  mingle  instruction  with  entertainment;  and  the 
humorous  touches,  especially  in  the  sketch  of  John  Holl,  the  Westminster 
dustman,  Dickens  himself  could  hardly  have  excelled." — Christian  Leader. 

For  Name  and  Fame  ;  or,  Through  Afghan  Passes.      By  G.   A. 

Henty.     With  full-page   Illustrations  by  Gordon   Browne. 

12mo,  cloth,  price  $i.UO. 

An  interesting  story  of  the  last  war  in  Afghanistan.  The  hero, 
after  being  wrecked  and  going  through  many  stirring  adventures 
among  the  Malays,  finds  his  way  to  Calcutta  and  enlists  in  a  regi- 
ment  proceeding  to  join  the  army  at  the  Afghan  passes.  He  ac- 
companies the  force  under  General  Roberts  to  the  Peiwar  Kotal, 
is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  carried  to  Cabul,  whence  he  is  trans- 
ferred to  Candahar,  and  takes  part  in  the  final  defeat  of  the  army 
of  Ayoub  Khan. 

"The  best  feature  of  the  book— apart  from  the  interest  of  its  scenes  of  ad- 
venture -is  its  honest  effort  to  do  justice  to  the  patriotism  of  the  Afghan 
people."— Da  %  News. 

Captured  by  Apes  :  The  Wonderful  Adventures  of  a  Young 
Animal  Trainer.  By  Harry  Prentice.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 
The  scene  of  this  tale  is  laid  on  an  island  in  the  Malay  Archi- 
pelago. Philip  Garland,  a  young  animal  collector  and  trainer,  of 
New  York,  sets  sail  for  Eastern  seas  in  quest  of  a  new  stock  of 
living  curiosities.  The  vessel  is  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Borneo 
and  young  (iarland,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  disaster,  is  cast  ashore 
on  a  small  island,  and  captured  by  the  apes  that  overrun  the 
place.  The  lad  discovers  that  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  monkey 
tribe  is  a  gigantic  and  vicious  baboon,  whom  he  identifies  as 
Goliah,  an  animal  at  one  time  in  his  possession  and  with  whose 
instruction  he  had  been  especially  diligent.  The  brute  recognizes 
him,  and  with  a  kind  of  malignant  satisfaction  puts  his  former 
master  through  the  same  course  of  training  he  had  himself  ex- 
perienced with  a  faithfulness  of  detail  which  shows  how  astonish- 
ing is  monkey  recollection.  Very  novel  indeed  is  the  way  by 
which  the  j'oung  man  escapes  deatli.  Mr.  Prentice  has  certainly 
worked  a  new  vein  on  juvenile  fiction,  and  the  ability  with  which 
he  handles  a  difficult  subject  stamps  him  as  a  writer  of  undoubte<l 
skill. 


A.  L.  BU^"  S  PUBUCATIONS. 


The  Bravest  of  the  Brave ;  or,  With  Peterborough  in  Spain, 
By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M. 
Paget.     13mi),  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

There  are  few  great  leaders  whose  lives  and  actions  have  so 
completely  fallen  into  oblivion  as  those  of  the  Earl  of  Peter- 
borough. This  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  over- 
shadowed by  the  glory  and  successes  of  Marlborough.  His  career 
as  general  extended  over  1  ttle  more  than  a  year,  and  yet,  in  that 
time,  he  showed  a  genius  for  warfare  which  has  never  been  sur- 
passed. 

"  Mr.  Henty  never  loses  sig^ht  of  the  moral  purpose  of  his  woi'k— to  enforce 
the  doctrine  of  courage  and  truth.  Lads  will  read  '  The  Bravest  of  the  Brave ' 
with  pleasure  and  profit;  of  that  we  are  quite  sure." — Daily  Telegraph. 

The  Cat  of  Bubastes  :  A  Story  of  Ancient  Egypt.     By  G.  A. 

Henty.   With  full -page  Illustrations.  13mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

A  story  which  will  give  young  readers  an  unsurpassed  insight 
into  the  customs  of  the  Egyptian  people.  Amuba,  a  prince  of  the 
Rebu  nation,  is  carried  with  his  charioteer  Jethro  into  slavery. 
They  become  inmates  of  the  house  of  Ameres,  the  Egyptian  higli- 
p  iest,  and  are  happy  in  his  service  until  the  priest's  son  acci- 
dentally kills  the  sacred  cat  of  Bubastes.  In  an  outburst  of  popular 
fury  Ameres  is  killed,  and  it  rests  with  Jethro  and  Amuba  to 
secure  the  escape  of  the  high-priest's  son  and  daughter. 

"  The  story,  from  the  critical  moment  of  the  killing  of  the  sacred  cat  to  the 
perilous  exodus  into  Asia  with  which  it  closes,  is  very  skillfully  constructed 
and  full  of  exciting  adventures.  It  is  admirably  illustrated."— Sat u?-rfaj< 
Review. 

With  Washington  at  Monmouth  :  A  Story  of  Three  Phila- 
delphia Boys.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
Three  Philadelphia  boys,  Seth  Graydon  "whose  mother  con- 
ducted  a  boarding-house  which  was  patronized  by  the  British 
officers;"  Enoch  Ball,  "son  of  that  Mrs.  Ball  whose  dancing 
school  was  situated  on  Letitia  Street,"  and  little  Jacob,  son  of 
"Chris,  the  Baker,"  serve  as  the  principal  characters.  The 
story  is  laid  during  the  winter  when  Lord  Howe  held  possession 
of  the  city,  ami  the  lads  aid  the  cause  l)y  assisting  the  American 
spies  who  make  regular  and  frequent  visits  from  Valley  Forge. 
One  reads  here  of  home-life  in  the  captive  city  when  bread  was 
scarce  am.ong  the  people  of  the  lower  classes,  and  a  reckless  prodi- 
gality shown  by  the  British  officers,  who  passed  the  winter  in 
feasting  and  merry-making  while  the  members  of  the  patriot  army 
but  a  few  miles  away  were  suffering  from  both  cold  and  hunger. 
The  story  abounds  with  pictures  of  Colonial  life  skillfully 
diawn,  and  the  glimpses  of  Washington's  soldiers  which  are  given 
show  that  the  work  has  not  b'^eu  hastily  done,  or  without  con- 
siderable study. 


A.  L    BtTRT'S  PUBLICATIONS.  S 

For  the  Temple :  A  Tale  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem.     By  G.  A 

Henty.  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  J.  Solomon.  12uio, 

cloth,  price  $1.00. 

Mr.  Henty  here  weaves  into  the  record  of  Josephus  an  admiruble 
and  attractive  story.  The  troubles  in  the  district  of  T.berias,  the 
march  of  the  legions,  the  sieges  of  Jotapata,  of  Gaiuala,  and  of 
Jeiusaleiu,  form  the  impressive  and  carefully  studied  historic 
setting  to  the  figure  of  the  lad  who  passes  from  tlie  vineyard  tc 
the  service  of  Josephus,  becomes  the  leader  of  a  guerrilla  bandot 
patriots;  fights  bravely  for  the  Temple,  and  after  a  brief  term  of 
slavery  at  Alexandria,  returns  to  his  Galilean  home  with  the  favoi 
of  Titus. 

•Mr.  Henty 's  graphic  prose  pictures  of  the  hopeless  Jewish  resistance  to 
tloman  sway  add  another  leaf  to  his  record  of  the  famous  wars  of  the  world." 
'-Qraphic. 

Facing  Death  ;  or,  The  Hero  of  the  Vaughan  Pit.     A  Tab  ol 
the  Coal  Mines.     By  G.   A.   Henty.     With  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  GoRDOX  Browne.     12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 
"  Facing  Death  "  is  a  story  with  a  purpose.     It  is  intended  to 
show  that  a  lad  who  makes  up  his  mind  firmly  and  resolutely  that 
he  will  rise  in  life,  and  who  is  prepared  to  face  toil  and  ridicule 
and  hardship  to  carry  out  his  determination,  is  sure  to  succeed. 
The  hero  of  the  story  is  a  typical    British    boy,  dogged,  earnest, 
generous,  and  though  "  shamefaced"  to  a  degree,  is  ready  to  face 
death  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 

"The  tale  is  well  written  and  well  illustrated  &,:  ""  there  is  much  reality  in 
the  characters.  If  any  father,  clergyman,  or  schoolmaster  is  on  the  lookout 
for  a  good  book  to  give  as  a  present  to  a  boy  who  is  vorth  his  salt,  this  is  the 
book  we  would  recommend." — Standard. 

Tom  Temple's  Career.    By  Horatio    Alger.     18mo,   cloth, 

price  $1.00. 

Tom  Temple,  a  bright,  self-reliant  lad,  by  the  deatb  of  his 
father  becomes  a  boarder  at  the  home  of  Nathan  Middleton,  a 
penurious  insurance  agent.  Though  well  paid  for  keeping  the 
boy,  Nathan  and  his  wife  endeavor  to  bring  Master  Toui  in  line 
•with  their  parsimonious  habits.  The  lad  ingeniously  evades  their 
efforts  and  revolutionizes  the  household.  As  Tom  is  heir  to 
$40,000,  he  is  regarded  as  a  person  of  some  importance  until  by 
an  unfortunate  combination  of  circumstances  his  fortune  shrinks 
to  a  few  hundreds.  He  leaves  Plympton  village  to  seek  work  in 
New  York,  whence  he  undertakes  an  important  mission  to  Cali- 
fornia, around  which  center  the  most  exciting  incidents  of  his 
young  career.  Some  of  his  adventures  in  the  far  west  are  so 
startling  that  the  reader  will  scarcely  close  the  book  until  the  last 
page  shall  have  been  reached.  The  tale  is  written  in  .Mr.  Alger's 
most  fascinating  style,  and  is  bound  to  please  the  'ery  large  class 
of  boys  who  regard  this  popular  author  as  a  prime  favorite. 


10  A.  L.  BURT'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

Maori  and  Settler:   A   Story   of   the   New   Zealand   War.     By 

G.  A.  Henty.,  With  full-page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse 

12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

The  Reushavvs  emigrate  to  New  Zealand  during  the  period  of 
the  war  with  the  natives.  Wilfrid,  a  strong,  self-reliant,  coura- 
geous lad,  is  the  mainstay  of  the  household.  He  has  for  his  friend 
Mr.  Atherton,  a  botanist  and  naturalist  of  herculean  strength  and 
unfailing  nerve  and  humor.  In  the  adventures  among  the  Maoris, 
there  are  many  breathless  moments  in  which  the  odds  seem  hope* 
lessly  against  the  party,  but  they  succeed  in  establishing  them- 
selves happily  in  one  of  the  pleasant  New  Zealand  valleys. 

"Brimful  of  adventure,  of  humorous  and  interesting  conversation,  and 
Tivid  pictures  of  colonial  lite.^'— Schoolmaster. 

Julian  MortimerJ:  A  Brave  Boy's  Struggle  for  Home  and  Fortune. 

By  Harry  Castlemon.     12mo,  cloth,  price  f  l.OO. 

Here  is  a  story  that  will  warm  every  boy's  heart.  There  is 
mystery  enough  to  keep  any  lad's  imagination  wound  up  to  the 
highest  pitch.  The  scene  of  the  story  lies  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  in  the  days  when  emigrants  made  their  perilous  way  across 
the  great  plains  to  the  land  of  gold.  One  of  the  startling  features 
of  the  book  is  the  attack  upon  the  wagon  train  by  a  large  party  of 
Indians.  Our  hero  is  a  lad  of  uncommon  nerve  and  pluck,  a  brave 
young  American  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  He  enlists  and  holds 
the  reader's  sympathy  from  the  outset.  Surrounded  by  an  un- 
known and  constant  perl,  and  assisted  by  the  unswerving  fidelity 
of  a  stalwart  trappe"  ^  real  rough  diamond,  our  hero  achieves  the 
most  happy  results.  Harry  Castlemon  has  written  many  enter- 
taining stories  for  boys,  and  it  would  seem  almost  superfluous  to 
say  anything  in  his  praise,  for  the  youth  of  America  regard  him 
as  a  favorite  author. 

"Carrots:"  Just  a  Little  Boy.     By  Mrs.  Molesworth.     With 
Illustrations  by  Walter  Crane.     12mo,  cloth,  price  75  cents, 

"  One  of  the  cleverest  and  most  pleasing  stories  it  has  been  our  good  foi^ 
tune  to  meet  with  for  some  time.  Carrots  and  his  sister  are  dehghtful  little 
beings,  whom  to  read  about  is  at  once  to  become  very  fond  of." — Examiner. 

"A  genuine  children's  book;  we've  seen  'em  seize  it,  and  read  it  greedily. 
Cliildren  are  flrst-rate  critics,  and  thoroughly  appreciate  Walter  Crane's 
illustrations."— PiMic/i. 

Mopsa  the   Fairy.      By  Jean  Ingelow.      With   Eight  page 

Illustrations.     12mo,  cloth,  price  75  cents. 

"  Mrs.  Ingelow  is,  to  our  mind,  the  most  charming  of  all  living  writers  for 
ehildren,  and  '  Mopsa '  alone  ouglit  to  give  her  a  kind  of  pre-emptive  right  to 
the  love  and  gratitude  of  our  young  folks.  It  requires  genius  to  conceive  a 
purely  imaginary  work  which  must  of  necessity  deal  with  the  supernatural 
without  running  into  a  meie  riot  of  fantastic  absurdity;  but  genius  Miss  In- 
gelow has  and  the  stoif  of  '  Jack  '  is  as  careless  and  joyous,  but  as  delicate, 
>s  a  picture  of  childhood." — Eclectic. 


^ 


A 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACIUT^^^ 


A  A         001  424  079  0 


